Ask A Scientist General Science Archive

Question:  What is metal made of? How do they make it? mick - kindergarten

Answer:
Metal is found in rocks.  Sometimes metal can actually
be seen in a rock as small shiny pieces.  This is often
the case with gold, for example.  In other cases, the metal
is actually part of the rock and can not be seen by eye.

Different kinds of rocks have different kinds of metals,
and some rocks have more metal than other rocks.

Where there are rocks with a lot of metal or with a
valuable metal--such as gold, silver, or platinum--
the rocks are collected in mines.  The rocks are then
crushed and treated with chemicals to remove the
metal from the rocks.  Pieces or hunks of metal can
also be heated up until they melt together.
-Grant