Mining News: Base metals; essential building blocks of modern civilization

Man has used base metals for at least 9,000 years and his ability to make use of these essential metals has gone hand-in-hand with the development of modern civilization. Today, virtually every element of human endeavor involves the use of industrial metals in one form or another.

“I generally like to point out to people that when you look around, probably 90 percent of what is above the ground used to be below the ground and got here principally through mining,” Hunter Dickinson Ltd. President and CEO Ron Theissen said in the company’s January newsletter.

Copper is one of the oldest metals ever used and has been one of the important materials in the development of civilization. Electrical uses of copper, including power transmission and generation, building wiring, telecommunication and electronic products, account for about three quarters of modern copper use.

Zinc, primarily used for corrosion protection, is the world’s fourth commonly used metal. Over half of the zinc in the U.S. is used for galvanizing iron and steel. Alloys are the second most common use of zinc. Zinc oxide is widely used as a white pigment in paints, and as a catalyst in the manufacture of rubber.

Lead-acid batteries account for 88 percent of the use of lead, another metal produced at the Red Dog Mine along with zinc.

Nickel’s properties have made it an important alloy metal. About 85 percent of nickel use is in alloys, mostly in stainless steel production. Nickel is a key part of many common rechargeable battery systems – used in electronics, power tools, transport and emergency power supply.

The ability of molybdenum to withstand extreme temperatures without significantly expanding or softening makes it useful in applications that involve intense heat. More than 43 million kilograms, or 102,500 tons, of molybdenum is used as an alloying agent each year in stainless steels, tool steels, cast irons, and high-temperature superalloys.

Because virtually every product humans use contain, or requires tools, equipment or products made up of base metals, the demand for these essential metals is closely related to global economic conditions and the demand for consumer goods. The recent global recession has resulted in a worldwide slowdown in buying. In order to keep in stride with lowered consumer demand, mining companies are trying to put the brakes on base metal production, but as global economic conditions improve, the market will once again demand an increased supply of these essential building blocks of modern civilization.

—Shane Lasley