Rocks are solid aggregates composed of one or more minerals. These formations are of great use to humans and, currently, the rocks are used in construction civil society in various ways: concrete manufacturing (gravel), coating material, ornamentation (marble), etc.
The rocks, for commercial purposes, are taken from nature in their raw state and then shaped according to the purpose of use. This type of economic activity is harmful to nature, as the removal has great impacts on the hills and mountains from which the removal takes place, it can form large craters on the site, in addition to the nuisance to animals generated by the noise (explosion of dynamite to remove the rocks).
Among the main rocks of economic importance are:
- Clay: is formed by altering certain rocks, consisting of minerals such as culinite, illite, montmorileonite, quartz and feldspar. Clay can be found in white and red colors, being located in areas close to rivers. It is composed of very fine sediments and, when mixed with water, it becomes a malleable mass, widely used in the manufacture of bricks, vases, tiles, floors, among others.
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- Basalt: is an eruptive igneous rock composed of different minerals, such as augite, magnetite, hematite, apatite and quartz. Basalt is a rock of extreme importance worldwide, being used in civil construction and road paving in several countries. Through basalt it is possible to obtain “stones” of details, “stones” of coating and gravel.
- Granite: composed essentially of quartz and feldspars, granite is an igneous rock, with fine, medium or coarse grains. This rock has great commercial value for civil construction and can be used in ornamentation and coating.
- Marble: mainly composed of calcite, a mineral that is abundant on the earth's surface. The marble deposits are located in regions of limestone matrix rock and volcanic activity. This rock has a wide variety of colors and textures, which makes it very attractive for construction, especially as an ornament.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira and. "The economic importance of rocks"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/a-importancia-economica-das-rochas.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
