Bauxite is classified as which type of mineral resource?

Bauxite is classified as which type of mineral resource?

• A. Metallic
• B. Nonmetallic
• C. Both
• D. Unknown

Answer: (A)

Metallic versus nonmetallic mineral resources are sorted by whether metals can be produced from them. Bauxite is the primary ore of aluminum, a metal. Even though the ore is a rock that contains aluminum-bearing minerals, its main economic use is to extract aluminum. That makes it a metallic mineral resource. It isn’t a nonmetallic resource, which would consist of materials from which no metal is obtained (like sand, limestone, or gypsum). There’s no uncertainty here, since bauxite’s defining value is as a source of a metal. The idea of it being both or unknown doesn’t fit, because resources are categorized into metallic or nonmetallic based on whether a metal can be produced.

Metallic versus nonmetallic mineral resources are sorted by whether metals can be produced from them. Bauxite is the primary ore of aluminum, a metal. Even though the ore is a rock that contains aluminum-bearing minerals, its main economic use is to extract aluminum. That makes it a metallic mineral resource. It isn’t a nonmetallic resource, which would consist of materials from which no metal is obtained (like sand, limestone, or gypsum). There’s no uncertainty here, since bauxite’s defining value is as a source of a metal. The idea of it being both or unknown doesn’t fit, because resources are categorized into metallic or nonmetallic based on whether a metal can be produced.