A mineral is generally considered to be a naturally-formed chemical element or compound with a definite chemical composition and crystal structure, and be inorganic and not man-made. In economic terms a mineral is any substance obtained by mining and could include the following:
- precious metals;
- other metals;
- industrial minerals (non-metallic minerals);
- fuel minerals (coal, petroleum products and peat);
- gemstones (precious and semi-precious stones);
- specimen minerals;
- construction minerals (for aggregates and building stone).
A more comprehensive listing is provided in Commodities.
Concentrations of minerals are referred to as deposits and are typically noteworthy when these minerals are of economic importance. An ore can be defined as a mixture of minerals occurring in economic amounts. Deposits are generally a site containing an ore or significant mineral enrichment and, for the purposes of the Mineral Resources Tasmania database, may include:
- Mineral fields (a group of related mines & prospects);
- Mines (deposits which produce or produced ore);
- Prospects (non-productive test workings or sites with potential to host ore);
- Quarries (a construction material site);
- Mineral leases;
- Areas of alluvial or eluvial workings (maybe extensive & poorly defined);
- Individual shafts adits etc. within a mineral lease;
- Significant mineral occurrences or geochemical anomalies;
- Lodes or reefs (ore-bearing rocks);
- Tailings dumps & dams (waste rock & sludge; may be reprocessed later);
- Related sites (e.g. batteries, to link with the heritage database).
