MINERALS

DEFINITION
A mineral is:
Naturally occurring substance
Inorganic (not living)
Solid
Has a definite (specific) crystal structure
Made of a specific chemical compound

CLASSIFICATION OF MINERALS
How minerals are identified is called,
classification.
Using the following tests, the exact mineral
can be determined

COLOR
Color this is NOT a good clue to the
identity of a mineral because many minerals
are found in several colors and many
minerals have extra chemicals in them that
give them an unexpected color. Weathering
may also change the color of the mineral.
Example: quartz comes in various colors:
rose, milky, clear

LUSTER
Luster - the way a mineral reflects light.
Minerals can be described as metallic,
pearly, glassy, silky, greasy, brilliant, or
dull.
Example: diamonds are brilliant. Talc has a
greasy luster, quartz has a glassy luster,
and gypsum has a pearly luster. Pyrite or
fool's gold, as it is sometimes called, has a
metallic luster.

STREAK
Streak - the color of the streak made by
rubbing a mineral across a hard, rough
surface like a bathroom tile which is known
as the streak test
Example: is pyrite which is a brassy, yellow
color. However, it makes a greenish, black
streak when rubbed across a rough surface.
You will need a field guide to rocks and
minerals to tell you what color streak a
mineral makes.

CLEAVAGE AND FRACTURE

Cleavage & Fracture are when certain
minerals break in a definite way.
Cleavage = square or flat sides
Fracture = irregular breaks
Example: Galena cleaves into little cubes.
Mica cleaves into thin sheets. Calcite cleaves
into slanting bricks. Feldspar breaks into little
steps. Quartz cleaves into irregular chunks.

HARDNESS
Hardness is measured by seeing how easy it
is to scratch a mineral which is known as
the scratch test
Example: talc, the softest mineral known,
can be scratched with a fingernail.
Diamond, the hardest mineral, can scratch
all the other minerals but cannot be
scratched by them. A German mineralogist,
Friedrich Mohs, developed a standard
scale of hardness in 1822. His scale is so
easy to use that it is still in use today.

MOHS HARDNESS SCALE

Mineral
Example

Description

Talc

Fingernail scratches it easily.

Gypsum

Fingernail scratches it.

Calcite

Copper penny scratches it.

Fluorite

Steel knife scratches it easily.

Apatite

Steel knife scratches it.

Feldspar

Steel knife does not scratch it easily, but scratches glass.

Quartz

Hardest common mineral. It scratches steel and glass easily.

Topaz

Harder than any common mineral.

Corundum

It scratches Topaz.

10 Diamond

It is the hardest of all minerals.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY/DENSITY
Specific gravity of a mineral is its relative
weight compared to the weight of an equal
volume of water. It determines the density
of the mineral.
Example: Two minerals may be the same
size, but their weight may be very different.
Water has a specific gravity of 1. If a
mineral has a specific gravity less than 3, it
is considered a "light" mineral, between 3
and 5 - "average", and more than 5 "heavy". Minerals with a metallic luster are
usually "heavy".

CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
Specific and regular crystal patterns

OTHER PROPERTIES
Acid Test whether it reacts to acid
Magnetism whether there is a push or pull
against other metals

PROCESSES THAT RESULT IN THE

FORMATION OF MINERALS
The processes that result in the formation
of minerals are
The cooling and crystallization from magma/lava
Bigger crystals form when it cools slowly

Evaporation of liquid from a solution

MAJOR GROUPS OF MINERALS

The two major groups of minerals is silicate
and
non-silicate minerals.
Silicate minerals contain Silicate groupings.
Silicate minerals are minerals that have a
combination of silicon and oxygen.
Non-silicate minerals do not contain silicate. Nonsilicate minerals are minerals that do not have a
combination of silicon and oxygen.

SULFIDES AND SULFATES

Sulfate is a combination of oxygen and sulfur
whereas sulfide is the negative ion of sulfur
alone. Both are negative ions.
Both sulfur and oxygen are "hungry" for
electrons. When they make a chemical bond it
is to gain a share of electrons to put them into
a more stable electron mode (or configuration).
The suffix '-ate' in chemistry indicates that
there is oxygen present whereas '-ide' tells us
that only the element alone is present in
forming the ion.

USES OF MINERALS
Gems jewelry
Metals strength
Ores mined for a profit
Smelt the melting of minerals

MINING
Open Pit Mining

Shaft
Mining

Strip Mining

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Waste materials
Depletion of resources
Damage to surface or cause sink holes in
caves