The colored shapes represent minerals, and white space is pore space (space in rock that is filled with air or water). The original sediment (or rock, on left) at the surface is exposed to rain (the arrows from above) and hence, chemical weathering. The gray minerals are not soluble, so remain unchanged. The purple minerals are made of red and blue elements. The purple minerals react with the water, which preferentially removes one element (the red) from the mineral and carries that element deeper into the ground, where it crystallizes as a new mineral. Weathering therefore separated the blue from the red elements, and concentrated those elements. A mining company interested in the blue element will mine rocks/sediments right at the surface, whereas a mining company interested in the red element will extract deeper rocks/sediments.
Image 40270 is a 406 by 750 pixel WebP
Uploaded:
Jul10 13
