EARTH SCIENCE

 One of the four interacting spheres that allows life on Earth.

 Refers to the solid Earth.
 Composed of rock and regolith which are essentially
aggregates of various minerals.
 Is defined as a naturally occurring, inorganic solid
with a definite chemical composition and an
ordered internal structure. Every mineral is unique,
but they exhibit general characteristics:
 1. Naturally-occurring – minerals should exist naturally. Steel and synthetic
diamonds are created artificially, and therefore, are not minerals.

 2. Inorganic – minerals are limited to substance formed through inorganic

processes, and exclude materials derived from living organisms which involved
organic processes. Coal, which composed of remains of plants and other inorganic
compounds, is not a mineral.

 3. Solid – all liquids and gases – even those that are naturally formed such as
petroleum – are not considered minerals. Ice formed in the glaciers are considered
a mineral but water is not.

 4. Definite chemical composition – the chemical composition of minerals should

express the exact chemical formula with the elements and compounds in specific
ratios. The only exception is the atomic substitution, which is characteristic of
certain minerals.
 5. Ordered internal structure – the atoms in minerals are organized in a regular,
repetitive geometric patterns or crystal structure. Volcanic glass, even if it is
formed naturally, is not considered a mineral because it is amorphous and has no
form. Substances that fulfill all the requirements but do not have an internal
structure are called mineraloids. Examples of mineraloids are amber, obsidian, opal,
and pearl.
 1. SILICATES
 2. OXIDES
 3. SULFIDES
 4. SULFATES
 5. HALIDES
 6. CARBONATES
 7. NATIVE METALS
 Is dependent on the chemical composition of the mineral. Minerals that have
similar chemical compositions often share the same crystal structure and generally
belong to the same crystal system.
 CRYSTAL SYSTEM BASED ON STRUCTURE
 Are useful for identifying minerals using a systematic
method such as Dana classification.
 Includes crystal formation, habit, cleavage, fracture, luster,
color, streak, hardness, density, magnetism, taste, feel, and
reaction to acid.
 Since minerals have a definite composition, it forms a definite structure which
crystallizes into a specific crystal form.
 Habit is the outside appearance of the mineral’s crystal form.
 This can be described as granular, tabular, dendritic, acicular, massive, reniform, dusty,
encrusting.
 The tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weakness is
known as cleavage.
 can be described thru number and directions of cleavage and its quality.

 Minerals with excellent cleavage will break into smooth, flat parallel
surfaces.
 A good cleavage will result in small, smooth, step-like flat surfaces.
 Cleavage surfaces are difficult to identify in minerals with poor
cleavage, while minerals that do not have cleavage will fracture either
in an irregular manner or as conchoidal fracture (smooth, curved
surfaces).
 Describes the appearance of light reflected from a mineral surface.
 A mineral may be described as metallic, like that of a polished metal.
 It may also may described as non-metallic, which can be vitreous (like glass),
resinous (like resin), pearlescent, silky, greasy, eartly, and dull.
 Color is the most obvious mineral property.
 Quartz is colorless but slight impurities can produce a variety of
colors, such as white (like in milky quartz), yellow ( like in citrine),
purple (like amethyst),or black (like in smoky quartz)
 Streak is the color of a mineral in its powdered form. It can be
obtained by rubbing the mineral on an abrasive ceramic tile called
streak plate.
 Is the measurement of the strength of the chemical bonds in its structure .
 It can be obtained by scratching it with another mineral or a different reference
material with known hardness.
 Specific gravity is a measure of the density of a mineral. It is
the weight of a mineral relative to the weight of an equal
volume of water.
 Most common minerals have a specific gravity of 2.7, while
gold has 19.
 Magnetism (Magnetite)
 Taste (Halite is salty)
 Effervescence or reaction to acid (calcite and other carbonates reacts with weak acid)
 Feel (talc is greasy)
 About 98% of Earth’s crust is composed of 8 elements.

 Out of thousands of identified mineral, only about two dozen are considered common.

 Most common rock-forming minerals are silicate minerals composed primarily of silicon
and oxygen. It includes:
 Plagioclase feldspar
 Potassium feldspar
 Quartz
 muscovite,
 Biotite
 Amphibole
 Pyroxene
 Olivine
 Calcite
 Dolomite
 Hematite
 Halite
 Gypsum
 Talc
 Chlorite