Minerals

Qassim University
Unaizah College of Engineering
Civil Engineering Department
CE 285
Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering
Dr. Waleed Tahawy

Minerals

Review

Minerals
Rock: Can be defined simply as an aggregate of one or

more minerals.
Mineral:

is a naturally occurring, homogeneous,

inorganic crystalline substance with definitive chemical
and physical properties.

Crystalline: means that the ions are combined in a

definite geometric pattern or crystal structure.

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Minerals are made of Chemical Elements, e.g. Oxygen,

Silicon, Aluminum, Iron,.etc.

Some minerals are One-Element mineral such as Gold

and Sulfur. However most minerals are combination of

two or more elements joined together in a chemically
stable compound.
There are 92 naturally occurring chemical elements, only

8 of which are make up more than 95% by wt of the

earths crust. These elements are: O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K,
Mg.
Si, O = 74.5 %

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Minerals in Granite

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Atomic structure

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Bonding
Atoms tends to achieve electric stability through:

a) Loosing electrons in the outer shell>>>>> Net +ve

Charge. (cations).si,o,al
b) Attracting electrons in the outer shell>>>>> Net -ve
Charge. (anions)
c) Sharing electrons in the outer shell With adjacent
Atoms >>>>> Net -ve Charge .

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a) ,b) called Ionic Bonding and c) Covalent Bonding

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D) Van der waals

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Physical Properties of Minerals
1- Luster
2- Hardness
3- Fracture
4- Color
5- Streak
6- Taste
7- Feel
8- Odor
9- Magnetism

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Physical Properties of Minerals
1- Luster

The appearance or quality of light reflected from the

surface of a mineral
Minerals can have metallic luster giving a metallic shiny

appearance
Minerals can have non-metallic luster, Non-metallic

luster minerals are described as...

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metallic
Pyrite (FeS2)

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metallic
Galena (PbS)

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non-metallic
1- Vitreous = glassy
(Quartz)

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non-metallic
2- Resinous = greasy (Opal)

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non-metallic
3-Pearly (Talc)

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non-metallic
4- Silky (asbestos)

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no-luster
Minerals with no luster are described dull or earthy
as in (Kaolin)

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Physical Properties of Minerals

2- Hardness: is the resistance of a mineral to
scratching.
Mohs scale: A scale for classifying minerals based on
relative hardness, determined by the ability of harder
minerals to scratch softer ones.
The scale includes the following minerals, in order from
softest to hardest:
1. talc 2. gypsum 3. calcite 4. fluorite 5. apatite
6. orthoclase 7. quartz 8. topaz 9. corundum
10. diamond.

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Hardness

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Hardness

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Hardness

hardness-[9]-Corundum

hardness-[10]-Dimond

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Hardness

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Physical Properties of Minerals
3- Fracture: the way minerals tend to break.
Conchoidal : break with curved surface (quartz & flint)
Even:
Uneven:
Hackly:

Nearly flat
Rough
surface with small sharp irregularities

- Most minerals show uneven fracture.

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Fracture:
Conchoidal: (curved surface)

Quartz

flint

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Fracture:
Even: (nearly flat)

Novaculite

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Fracture
Uneven (rough)

Serpentine

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Fracture
Hackly (small sharp
irregularities)

Copper

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Physical Properties of Minerals
4- Color:
Most minerals contain impurities which modify their color.
so color may be misleading.
Examples of different minerals colors :
1- azure-blue ----- linarite

2- red ----- cinnabar

3- olive-green ----- scorodite
4- yellow ----- sulfur

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Physical Properties of Minerals
4- Color:
linarite

cinnabar

scorodite

sulfur

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Physical Properties of Minerals
5- Streak:
The streak of a mineral is the color of its powder by rubbing the
mineral on a streak plate .

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Physical Properties of Minerals
Streak:

magnetite
Limonite

Hematite

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Silicate structure
All Silicate minerals have the same basic block known as

Silicon Oxygen Tetrahedron sheet with Oxygen/Silicon ratio

of 4:1 and negative charge of -4.
Because the SiO4 is not electronically neutral (Si4+ + 4(O)2- =

(SiO4)4- ) it tends to combine with other elements to make a

neutral species.
The variety of silicate minerals is produced by the (SiO4)4-

tetrahedra linking to self-similar units sharing one, two, three,

or all four corner oxygens of the tetrahedron.

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Silicate structure

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Silicate structure

Single

Chains

Tetrahedron
(Olivine)

(Pyroxene)

(Mg.Fe)2SiO4

(Mg.Fe) SiO3

Double
Chains
(Amphibole)

Sheets

3-D
Networks

(Muscovite &
Biotite)

(Feldspars &
Quartz)

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Mineral Cleavage : is the way it breaks into pieces.
Silicon-Oxygen bonds are very strong, therefore Silicate
Minerals, if they cleave, they tend to cleave between the SiliconOxygen Structure rather than across them.

e.g:
Micas cleave into flat plats, while Quartz has no cleavage at all

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Single

Silicate structure

Tetrahedron
(Olivine)
(Mg.Fe)2SiO4

Chains
(Pyroxene)
(Mg.Fe) SiO3

Double
Chains
(Amphibole)

Sheets
(Muscovite &
Biotite)

3-D
Networks
(Feldspars &
Quartz)

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Silicate Minerals

Ferromagnesian silicate
containing ions of (Fe )and/or
(Mg) in their structure
(Dark in Color)

Non-Ferromagnesian silicate
DONOT contain ions of (Fe) and/or
(Mg) in their structure
(Light in Color)

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Ferromagnesian silicate

Olivines

Pyroxenes

C/ Black to
Green with

C/ Black
Cleavage/
Parallel to sio4
chain
St./ SingleChain Structure
of Sio4
Tetrahedron

L/Glossy
F/ conchodial
Cleavage/ No
St./ separate
groups of
Sio4
tetrahedron

Garnet

Hornblende

Biotite

C/ Dark green to
black

C/ shiny black

C/ Brown to
deep red

Cleavage/ one
direction

F/ conchodial

Cleavage/ 60o to
120o
St./ doubleChain Structure
of Sio4
Tetrahedron

St./ sheets
Structure of
Sio4
Tetrahedron

Cleavage/
lacks
St./ separate
groups of
Sio4
tetrahedron

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Non-Ferromagnesian silicate

Muscovite

Feldspar

C/ light

C/ different
St./ 3-D Frame
Network of
Sio4Tetrahedron

L/pearly
St./ sheets Structure
of Sio4 Tetrahedron

Quartz
St./ Complete 3-D
Frame Network of Sio4
Tetrahedron

Contains No Other
Ions but Si and O

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Non-Silicate Mineral Groups

Oxides
:Hematte
Sulfides
: Galena
Halides
:Halite
Carbonates : Calcite
Calcite and Dolomite
Limestone
Dolostone