<p> Minerals – Uses</p><p>Asphalt – a brown-black substance of hydrocarbons used for pavement and roofing shingles.</p><p>Brass – an alloy made of copper and zinc; used for door knobs, hinges, locks, etc.</p><p>Cement – a mixture of minerals: limestone, clay, shale, and gypsum. Used for mortar and foundations.</p><p>Clay – an earthy material composed of silicates. Used for brick, tile, porcelain, sewer pipes, and cement.</p><p>Chromite – a mineral used in stainless steel.</p><p>Copper – a reddish metallic mineral, a good conductor of heat and electricity; used for plumbing, electrical wiring, and in light bulbs, TV’s, telephones, etc.</p><p>Feldspar – a mineral important in glass, ceramics, and used in insulation.</p><p>Gypsum – a mineral used in plaster of Paris (wallboard) and an element of cement.</p><p>Iron – a heavy, magnetic, silver-white mineral; used in pipes and alloys such as brass and stainless steel, used in screws and nails.</p><p>Limestone – a sedimentary rock used extensively in building, an element of cement.</p><p>Nickel – a silvery-white metallic mineral, a good conductor; used in stainless steel and other alloys.</p><p>Porcelain – a hard, fine-grained white ceramic consisting of clay, quartz, and feldspar; used for sinks, bathtubs, toilets.</p><p>Silicate materials – the largest class of minerals; used in building materials such as cement, bricks, and glass; used to color asphalt shingles.</p><p>Silica – a mineral in quartz, opal, and sand; used in insulation, lightbulbs, and TV’s.</p><p>Shale – a rock formed by clay, mud, and silt; used in cement.</p><p>Slate – a rock used as building stone and in blackboards and shingles.</p><p>Steel – an alloy of iron and zinc or iron, nickel, and chromite; used for nails, screws, rain gutters, plumbing, door knobs, locks, hinges, playground equipment.</p><p>Vermiculite – a lightweight water absorbent mineral used in insulation.</p><p>Sand – grains of rock material used in glass and concrete.</p><p>Zinc – a bluish-white metallic mineral; used in many alloys including brass, bronze, stainless steel, and used in paint.</p>