Among the four different types of technology, production technology is the knowledge, tools, machines, and systems that we humans use to produce artifacts we need and want for living our lives. We manufacture “products”, which are artifacts transported from the location where they are produced, or we construct “structures”, which are artifacts that remain at the location they are produced. Our uniquely human actions of inventing, designing and producing artifacts to satisfy ourselves partially defines what people are, and that is why anthropologists study old artifacts from the past to understand people from the past. Understanding technology is fundamental to understanding humans.

Because of the importance and impact of production technology for all of us, understanding and managing it calls for education and the involvement of caring humans who will design and produce artifacts that not only benefit humans but also preserve our environment for the future. This column is about this education and this article will focus on the extraction and production of one important category of related products used in manufacturing and construction of all sorts of artifacts: mineral resources.

There are several Rochelle-area businesses which specialize in products and services related to mineral products including JWF Group, Continuous Cast Alloys, Standard Oil, Cardinal Forge, Clark Dietrich Building Systems, Wheatland Tubing, MetCut Alloys, US Silica Company, the Illinois Tollway, Silgan Containers, Trans World Plastics, Morton Buildings, Macklin Quarry, and many gas stations. All of these businesses have something in common — they either produce or maintain products or services which depend on mineral resources. Production and processing of minerals is an integral part of our local, regional, national and global economy.

The Mineralogical Society of America defines a mineral substance as a naturally-occurring, homogeneous solid, inorganically-formed, with a well-defined chemical composition (or range of compositions), and an ordered atomic arrangement, that has been formed by geological processes, either on Earth or in extraterrestrial bodies. Economic minerals are defined more broadly, and includes not only minerals, but also metals, rocks and hydrocarbons (solid and liquid) that are extracted from the Earth by mining, quarrying or drilling. For the purpose of this article we'll use this broader definition.

As of February 2023, the International Mineralogical Association recognizes nearly 6,000 mineral species on Earth. However, some estimate that there are as many as 10,000 minerals on the planet, and scientists are still discovering new ones each year, and disqualifying a few others. It is quite amazing to think about the complex and diverse variety of natural minerals the Earth has to offer. Each mineral has certain unique physical, chemical and electrical properties making it advantageous to use for production of particular artifacts. And each of these was formed as the Earth was formed over many billions of years. They can be divided into various categories based on how they were formed, how they are extracted, or what they are composed of. Typically I consider minerals as being either rocks, hydrocarbons, or gemstones. Common examples you most likely are familiar with are limestone, sand, iron, aluminum, water, coal, oil, natural gas, gold, silver, rubies and diamonds. But always remember there are thousands of others out there buried in the Earth.

Many minerals are rarely found in a pure form. Instead they exist in an “ore”, which is a naturally-occurring rock or sediment which contains higher concentrations of specific other more valuable minerals. For example, iron ore is the naturally-occurring rock that contains high levels of the element iron. Iron is the primary ingredient for the human-made metal steel, which is extremely strong and durable and has many varieties depending on its carbon content. Steel is used in all sorts of products and structures, and is what makes reinforced concrete so strong.

Bauxite is an aluminum ore mined primarily in Australia, China, Brazil, India and Guinea. The United States does not mine much at all. Aluminum is a very widely used metal which can be shaped easily using different methods, and has a very high strength-to-weight ratio. You may have aluminum window frames on your home, or outdoor chairs made from aluminum. Most certainly you know of the aluminum used for drink cans or for aluminum foil. Aluminum lends itself to recycling well because it can be recycled infinitely many times, saving the energy used to mine more from the Earth and transport.

Interestingly, the city of Galena, Illinois is named for the galena ore that was mined in that area and provided the City of Galena a very rich and interesting history. It's considered the first mining “boomtown” and grew in population to rival Chicago at that time in the early 1800s. Galena is the richest lead ore and was in high demand for the production of lead used in a wide variety of products. Robust steamboat transportation traffic crowded the river running past Galena to move the mined galena to markets along the Mississippi River.

Additionally, we have learned to combine different raw minerals to create new, human-made products which can have greater, more enhanced properties than the natural ones. These human-made products are both beneficial and harmful. For example, plastic, which is a human-made product made from oil, natural gas, coal, or salt, (but can also be made from plants) is extremely useful for many reasons, including its durability, strength, versatility, and low cost. Try to imagine removing some of the plastic products from your home and you'll realize how useful plastic is! But plastics can be extremely polluting because of their durability and because their low cost has caused a “throw away” plastic product culture. Additionally the wide variety of fundamentally different plastics adds to the confusion causing various behavior changes to recycle them. Certain plastics just can’t be recycled with others.

Fertilizers made from combined mineral resources such as limestone and petrochemicals are fundamental to modern agriculture and we could not maintain the huge acreage of corn and soybeans we see throughout the Midwest without their use. The number of beneficial products derived from corn and soybeans is remarkable and our meat and dairy supply is completely dependent on the mining of minerals for sustained growth and production.

Stay tuned for more about the importance of our mineral resources.

Kurt Wolter has studied and taught technology - including production, transportation, energy, and communication - for over 30 years. He enjoys trying to better understand technology’s past, present, and future while also attempting journalism. He can be reached at technohistory100@gmail.com