Chapter 2
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not contain a metal ore. An example of a
non-metallic mineral is sand. Sand is slowly
made from the weathering forces of ice,
wind, andwater. Pennsylvanians use sand to
make glass. Glass is made by heating a
mixtureof sand and limestoneover gas or oil
flames. There are thousands of types of glass
products!
Other non-metallic minerals are the
different types of stones found in our state.
Our state ranks first in the production of
stone. One of our most important stones is
limestone
. The following products are
made from limestone — lime for the soil,
crushed stone for roadbeds, and cement for
concrete. Concrete is made by mixing
cement, water, and sand gravel together.
Many limestone
quarries
can be found in
York, Centre, and Cumberland Valleys. A
quarry is a place where a huge pit or hole is
made in the earth’s surface. Stones are dug,
cut, or blasted from the quarry.
Another important stone is slate. Slate is
used to make chalkboards, roof tiles, and
pool tables. Another important non-metallic
mineral is
clay
. Clay is a natural, mud-like
substance that is used to make bricks for
buildings, sewer pipes, and tiles. From the
Appalachian Mountains, sandstone is used
to buildhouses.
People work at getting to or using our
natural resources. Other people work to
transport these materials to factories. More
peoplework tomake the products. Then there
arepeoplewhowork to transport theproducts
to market places. Finally, people work to sell
them. Our natural resources provide many
jobs for the people of our state.
1. Describewhat agriculturemeans.
2. How do you know that our soil is an important natural resource?
3. Name fours kinds of farming that are important in our state.
4. Give threeways our forests help us.
5. Name the fossil fuels that aremined or pumped from the earth.
6.What is the difference between ametallic andnon-metallicmineral?
7. List twometallicminerals. List the products that aremade from theseminerals.
8. List at least two non-metallic minerals. List the main products that are made from
these non-metallicminerals.
AN
INTERESTING
ACTIVITY
In and around your home and community, make a list of the
different glass products you see. Do not confuse glass with
plastic. Sometimes, plastic looks like glass. Bring your list to
school. Everyone can share in making a big chart of all the
different kinds of glass products.
ReviewQuestions
