McEwen Mining Inc (MUX)

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Mining for Firecrackers, Sparklers, and Fireworks
By Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane

Mining for Firecrackers, Sparklers, and FireworksWhat do aluminum, barium, magnesium, potassium, strontium, antimony, copper, zinc, and gold have in common?

They are all mined elements that are used to make firecrackers, sparklers, and fireworks.

When it comes to fireworks, mined minerals are a key component in their beauty and booms.

Aluminum, which is used extensively in aircraft, automobiles, and appliances to make them lighter, is used in fireworks to produce bright flashes and loud bangs. Bauxite is the primary source of aluminum (Al) ore.

The USGS National Minerals Information Center notes that “Bauxite is a naturally occurring, heterogeneous material composed primarily of one or more aluminum hydroxide minerals, plus various mixtures of silica, iron oxide, titania, aluminosilicate, and other impurities in minor or trace amounts.”

Copper, which has been key in the modern age, is being used extensively in energy-efficient products. And it’s also the element that makes the blue color in fireworks. The USGS notes that “Pure copper metal is generally produced from a multistage process, beginning with the mining and concentrating of low-grade ores containing copper sulfide minerals, and followed by smelting and electrolytic refining to produce a pure copper cathode.”

From the Greek phrase “a metal not found alone,” antimony is a silvery, lustrous grey semi-metallic toxic element used to create firework glitter effects. The USGS estimates that there is an abundance of antimony in the Earth’s crust ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 parts per million. Antimony is chalcophile, occurring with sulfur and the heavy metals, lead, copper, and silver. Over a hundred minerals of antimony are found in nature.
Strontium gives red fireworks their deep hue.

Strontium commonly occurs in nature, averaging 0.034% of all igneous rock, according to the USGS; only two minerals, celestite (strontium sulfate) and strontianite (strontium carbonate), however, contain strontium in sufficient quantities to make its recovery practical.

Gold sparks are produced by iron filings and small pieces of charcoal. The USGS explains that iron ore is a mineral substance which, when heated in the presence of a reductant, will yield metallic iron (Fe). It almost always consists of iron oxides, the primary forms of which are magnetite (Fe3O4) and hematite (Fe2O3).

MIning for fireworks
https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/mining/mining-for-firecrackers-sparklers-and-fireworks/

Fireworks filmed with a drone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9KZ3jgbbmI
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