Ore-mineral textures and the tales they tell

Ore minerals have been the resource base for all metal used by humankind si nce the dawn of history. Total world production of refined metals has been approximately 62 billion tonnes, and today, annual production exceeds 1.3 b illion tonnes. Ore minerals, whether concentrated in ore deposits or disper sed as accessory minerals, can provide valuable information on the origins, histories and, in some case, futures of the metals. The same metals that s erve society in myriad uses also have the potential to become major polluta nts if released into the environment by combustion or weathering. The textu res preserve a record of the means by which the minerals formed, provide in sights as to the effective means of extracting the metals, and yield clues as to the future release of some metals. Each texture tells a tale with reg ard to origin, use, and future of the metal-bearing phases. Understanding t hese tales requires careful sampling, preparation, analysis, and interpreta tion. The techniques of analysis and interpretation of ore minerals may als o be applied to such anthropogenic materials as artifacts and potential pol lutants.