Zinc_Geology_EN

1.

ZINC (Zn)
Element No. 30: from a mineral in the Earth's
crust
to a galvanized bucket
A geological look at an everyday metal

2.

Zinc in Nature
In the Earth's crust: ~70–80 g per tonne
About 70 distinct minerals
Main ore mineral: sphalerite ZnS,
“zinc blende”
Usually found in ore together with copper and lead
Sphalerite — the main ore mineral of zinc
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3.

How Zinc Deposits Form
Hot ore-bearing fluids rising from depth
Massive sulfide (VMS) deposits — on volcanic arcs
Stratiform deposits — in limestone sequences
Skarn deposits — at granite contacts
The Urals — the classic VMS region
Ore mineral in its natural setting
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4.

Where It Is Mined
Uchalinskoye deposit — the Urals, Russia
Red Dog — Alaska, the world's largest zinc mine
Mount Isa — Queensland, Australia
Antamina — Peru
Top producer: China (~4 million tonnes/year)
Uchalinsky open-pit mine, Southern Urals
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5.

From Ore to Metal
Beneficiation: ore flotation → concentrate
Roasting: ZnS + oxygen → zinc oxide
Electrowinning: zinc deposits on the cathode
Final product: ingots of 99.99% Zn
Zinc ingots — the marketable output of smelters
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6.

Zinc in Everyday Life
Galvanized steel — ~50% of all production:
buckets, roofing, car bodies, masts
Brass and Zn–Al alloys
ZnO — rubber, sunscreen creams
Batteries and coins
~2–3 g of zinc in the human body
A galvanized bucket and a hot-dip galvanizing line
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