Building a house ...

Minerals used in plumbing and wiring
Galena Lead was once used to make pipes. It comes from the mineral galena, but as we now know it is poisonous, copper is used instead. Copper comes from minerals like bornite and chalcopyrite and it isis also used for electrical wiring.

Copper is:

Impermeable
Flexible
Stretchy (if you pull hard)
A good electrical conductor

Bornite
Bornite (left) and chalcopyrite (right) are used in modern plumbing and wiring

Learn more about the minerals we use in building

Find out about the minerals we use every day...
Krystal the quartz
Building a house
In the kitchen
Around the home
Transport and technology
Neat and tidy
Health and medicine

Finish by playing Mineral mix and match! or return to the Homepage