Zinc is a metal and is found in the Earth's crust as ores, which are rocks containing valuable minerals. The most common zinc ore is sphalerite, which is also known as zinc blende.
Other zinc ores include:
* Smithsonite (zinc carbonate)
* Willemite (zinc silicate)
* Calamine (a mixture of smithsonite and hemimorphite)
* Franklinite (a mixed oxide of zinc, iron, and manganese)
These ores are mined and processed to extract the zinc metal.
