The uses of rocks and minerals

State three different uses of rocks in buildings in your local area (facades, pavements, roofs, monuments, etc.) and name the rock used in each case if you know it.

Name two rocks used in construction and explain in which part of a building each one is used.

For a kitchen worktop, there is a choice between granite and marble. Take into account that marble is metamorphosed limestone that reacts with acids (lemon, vinegar), whereas granite is very hard and hardly alters. Recommend an option and justify your choice.

Gypsum, common salt (halite), and quartz are minerals with very different uses. Name an everyday use for each one and explain which property of the mineral makes it useful for that purpose.

What is clay used for? Name two products from your daily life made with it and explain what happens to clay when it is fired in a kiln.

Besides cooking, name two uses of common salt (halite) and explain which property of salt makes them possible.

Name two metals obtained from minerals extracted from the Earth's crust and one everyday use of each.

Explain what a quarry is and how it differs from a mine, giving an example of a material obtained in each one.

Copper is used in electrical cables and iron in building beams. Relate each use to the property of the metal that makes it possible and name a material that could replace each one, reasoning whether it would perform the same function.

Rocks and minerals are non-renewable resources. Explain what this means, give two examples of materials whose reserves are decreasing, and suggest two measures to consume them more sustainably.

An open-cast quarry provides employment for a town, but destroys a hillside and generates dust and noise. Set out two arguments in favour of and two arguments against the quarry, and conclude by giving your reasoned opinion.

A technology manufacturer claims in its advertising campaign: «Our new smartphone is 100% eco-friendly because its battery lasts twice as long and the casing is made of polished aluminum instead of plastic». Knowing that batteries require lithium and cobalt from mining operations, and that aluminum is extracted from the mineral bauxite through highly energy-consuming processes:

1. a) Refute the company's claim by justifying why no electronic device can be considered «100% eco-friendly» given the geological origin of its raw materials.
2. b) If doubling the battery life requires doubling the amount of lithium and cobalt per device, predict two environmental or social impacts in the countries where these mines are located if sales increase by 20%.
3. c) From the perspective of responsible consumption of mineral resources, justify whether it is more sustainable to change phones every two years to have a more efficient battery or to prolong the use of the same phone for four years by only replacing the deteriorated battery.