No matter what you think, you certainly would not dispute thesewords of Melody Beattie: Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.It turns what we have into enough and more; it turns denial intoacceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity. Thesewords can be applied, to benefit, in the case of an individual, agroup and a nation. A cursory look across the pages of the report on the geophysicalsurvey and geochemical mapping of Nigeria reveals an enormousendowment of valuable solid mineral resources. In all the states ofthe country, there occur various solid minerals in commerciallyviable quantities. So, gratitude on the national level is not outof place; gratitude to God for bountiful natural endowment.
It is germane to clarify that solid minerals are naturallyoccurring substances with unchanging chemical composition which arein the solid state at normal temperature and pressure and can beobtained by mining from the earth. In this vast array of resources,there are various categories, namely industrial minerals, rocksand stones, ores of metals, and gemstones. Industrial minerals are generally used for industrial andconstruction purposes. Here, we have industrial diamond, thehardest natural material used in high grade drill bits and cuttingblades. Additionally, this category comprises various grades andtypes of silicon substances commonly known as sand.
Also includedare bentonites and barites claylike compounds that possessconsiderable cohesive property and thus find important usage indrilling of wells. Clay also is a very useful mineral for makingrefractory bricks and roofing slates, among other things. Asbestos,graphite, coal are other important industrial minerals. Not to beleft out are kaolin, gypsum, and bitumen.
All the above mentionedindustrial minerals, fortunately, are abundant in Nigeria. Rocks and stones such as gravel and granite fill a mighty need inthe construction industry. Also as part of the group are materialslike limestone and glass stone. Limestone or calcium carbonate is amajor raw material in the manufacture of cement.
It also findsenormous utilisation in the production of tiles and sanitary ware,in the making of chinaware , in medicine, livestock feed, and inthe chemical industry. At high temperature and pressure, glassstone is melted and combined with other compounds to make glasswareof every sort. The wide range of rock and stone formations dottingthe entire surface of the country are blasted and quarried in orderto obtain these rocks and stones. Ores of metals are so wide in variety and occurrence that it isnecessary to sub-classify them. Metals are inorganic, naturallyoccurring substances that possess properties that distinguish themfrom other solid minerals.
Generally, they have distinct propertiessuch as high reflectivity, high electrical conductance, substantialthermal conductance, strength and ductility. A prominent metalwhich occupies a sovereign position among other metals due to itshuge utilisation factor in industry is iron. It undergoes a widevariety of chemical reactions with other metals to form alloys.Such alloys are called ferrous metals. Iron is the second mostabundant element in the earth s crust.
It exists in many oxidationstates and occurs in the form of various ores such as hematite,magnetite, limonite, and siderite. Ores of iron are abundant indifferent parts of Nigeria, particularly Kwara and Kogi States.Other metals are referred to as non-ferrous metals. Prominent among the non-ferrous metals is aluminium. Aluminium isthe most abundant element in the earth s crust.
It occursnaturally in three varieties of ore: silicates such as micas andfeldspars; bauxite; and cryolite. Bauxite is available in parts ofAkwa Ibom State. Other important non-ferrous metals include zinc,tin, lead, copper, niobium and tantalum. These occur in differentstates of Nigeria: Oyo, Ebonyi, Nassarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Abia,Zamfara, Borno, Kebbi, etc. Of course, mention must also be made of the precious metals gold, silver, platinum, and the platinum group metals (ruthenium,osmium, rhodium, iridium, and palladium).
These are very costlymetals. They occur mostly in association with each other and withthe coinage metals. They are available in Nigeria. Gemstones are naturally occurring minerals, highly valued for theirbeauty and durability.
They are essentially very scarce. Prominent in this group are diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire,topaz, amethyst, aquamarine etc. Imagine the extent to which thecountry is blessed! The solid mineral industry in Nigeria is nodoubt an investor s dream world. If policymakers demonstrate thecollective gratitude of the people by opening up the field andmaking it level for genuine players, enormous blessings would flow.There would be order; there would be clarity; and, of course,prosperity too.
I am an expert from Rubies Sapphires, it usually analyzes various kinds of industry situation, such as Rubies Sapphires, and many more. Welcome to visit!
We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Rubies Sapphires , Servo Wire Tensioner Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Magnetic Wire Tensioner.
Related Articles -
Rubies Sapphires, Servo Wire Tensioner Manufacturer,
|
