Topic 1 - Metal Origins

Question 1

Where does metal come from

Answer 1

Metal comes from rock in the earths crust, this is know as ore
Ore is extracted from the earth by a process known as mining

Question 2

What does surface mining involve

Answer 2

Stripping soil away and using large excavation equipment

Question 3

What did underground mining involve

Answer 3

Digging deep underground tunnels ; the ground is often blasted with explosives to release the ore before transporting it about ground

Question 4

What does the ore need to have after being extracted from the ground

Answer 4

It needs to have the metal extracted from it, using a process called smelting

Question 5

What is a blast furnace and what temperature does it reach

Answer 5

A blast furnace is used to effectively melt the iron out of the rock. The blast furnace reached 1700C which uses a lot of fossil fuels

Question 6

Why is a reduction cell used?

Answer 6

A reduction cell is used to extract aluminium from bauxite. A very high current causes the aluminium to settle at the bottom of the tank

Question 7

Where do we get steel from

Answer 7

We get steel from the pure metal iron. It originally comes from an ore called haematite. Brazil, Australia and Africa have the largest deposits of haematite

Question 8

Where does aluminium come from

Answer 8

Aluminium comes from an ore called bauxite. Australia and Guinea have the largest deposits of bauxite

Question 9

Why is it important we recycle and reuse metal ores

Answer 9

Metal ores are a finite, non renewable resource