Yamang minerals are naturally occurring minerals found in the Philippines that are usually collected by mass mining activities in rocks and underground caves across the country. These types of substances can take a range of forms, including soft powders, fine salts, solid stones and valuable gems. The study of minerals is known as mineralogy, and statistics show that this is a growing field of scientific exploration. In 2004, the International Mineralogical Association knew of over 4,000 unique minerals - over 90% of which are deemed to be 'rare' or 'extremely rare'; the rest are best described as 'common' or 'fairly common'.
The Philippines boasts a diverse range of minerals, with calculations suggesting that the nation has untapped mineral stores worth in excess of $840 billion. The country's copper and gold stores are amongst the biggest in the entire world, with silver, coal, gypsum and nickel also being found in abundance here. There are also huge rock deposits across the land, including limestone, phosphate, clay, marble and silica.
Despite the fact that the Philippines is an incredibly mineral-rich nation, it does not benefit as much from the sale and export of minerals as you would probably think. In the late 1970s right through to the end of the 1980s, the Philippines ranked 10th worldwide in terms of precious metal contributors. Since then, however, the market has stagnated and faced what could only be described as rapid decline. The country's financial problems and the crash of the precious metal market left the Philippines' mineral sales at an all-time low. With sources of valuable rocks and minerals still in great abundance compared to most other nations in the world, though, the Filipino natives could yet benefit from the minerals their land is so rich in - providing the export market re-emerges again in the not-so-distant future.
The Philippines boasts a diverse range of minerals, with calculations suggesting that the nation has untapped mineral stores worth in excess of $840 billion. The country's copper and gold stores are amongst the biggest in the entire world, with silver, coal, gypsum and nickel also being found in abundance here. There are also huge rock deposits across the land, including limestone, phosphate, clay, marble and silica.
Despite the fact that the Philippines is an incredibly mineral-rich nation, it does not benefit as much from the sale and export of minerals as you would probably think. In the late 1970s right through to the end of the 1980s, the Philippines ranked 10th worldwide in terms of precious metal contributors. Since then, however, the market has stagnated and faced what could only be described as rapid decline. The country's financial problems and the crash of the precious metal market left the Philippines' mineral sales at an all-time low. With sources of valuable rocks and minerals still in great abundance compared to most other nations in the world, though, the Filipino natives could yet benefit from the minerals their land is so rich in - providing the export market re-emerges again in the not-so-distant future.
