UNIT II

MINERALOGY

Physical properties of minerals – Quartz group, Feldspar group, Pyroxene -

hypersthene and augite, Amphibole – hornblende, Mica – muscovite and biotite,
Calcite, Gypsum and Clay minerals.

1. DEFINE MINERAL.

A mineral is defined as the naturally occurring inorganic solid

substance that is characterized with a definite chemical composition and very often
with a definite atomic structure.

2. WHAT IS MINERALOGY?

Mineralogy is a branch of geology that deals with various aspects related to

minerals such as their individual properties, their mode of formation and
mode of occurrence.

3. WHAT ARE THE PROPERTIES OF MINERALS?

Each mineral is generally characterized with a set of properties, some of which

are always distinctive related to the body of a mineral, eg: its colour, shine, shape,
hardness etc are aptly termed as physical properties.

Some other properties like behavior towards light require extremely thin
sections of minerals through which light can pass and are best studied with the help of
microscope. These are termed as optical properties.

A third group of properties involving chemical analysis of the minerals to

know their constituents, qualitatively and quantitatively, fall under the category of
chemical properties.

1
4. WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS? EXPLAIN
THE PROPERTY OF COLOUR IN DETAIL.

The physical properties of minerals are;

 Colour
 Lustre
 Streak
 Hardness
 Cleavage
 Fracture
 Tenacity
 Structure(Form)
 Specific gravity

Colour

 The colour of any object is a light dependant property.

 it is the appearance of the particular object in light.

 A particular colour is produced by reflection of some and absorption of other

components in white light.

 A mineral shows colour of that wavelength of the white light which

is not absorbed, by virtue of its composition and atomic structure.

On the basis of colour, a mineral may belong to any one of the three types:

# Idiochromatic:

It has fairly constant colour related primarily to the composition of mineral.

Metallic minerals belong to this category. Eg: Copper

2
# Allochromatic:

 They have variable colour.

 the variety in colour is generally due to minute quantities of colouring

impurities thoroughly dispersed in the mineral composition.

Eg: Non metallic minerals like quartz, calcite, fluorite may occur in more than two
colours depending upon the nature of impurities.

# Pseudochromatic:

 They show false colour. Such effect generally happens when a

mineral is rotated in hand. It is seen to show a set of colours in
succession.
 This change or play of colours is attributed to simultaneous
reflection and refraction from the mineral surface due to minute
inclusions of impurities in the mineral at different locations.

Some of the peculiar phenomena connected with colour in minerals are explained
below;

 Play of colours:
 It is the development of series of prismatic colours shown by some
minerals on turning about in light.
 The colour change in rapid succession on rotation and their effect is quite
brilliant and appealing to the eye.
 These are caused by the interference of light reflected from
numerous cleavage surfaces of the mineral. Eg: Diamond
 Change of colours:
 It is similar to play of colours except that the rate of change of colours on
rotation and their intensity is rather low.
 Each colour continues over a large space of the mineral befor the other takes
over. Eg: Labradorite
 Iridescence:

3
 Some minerals show rainbow colours either in their interior or on
the exterior surface. This is called iridescence. Eg: Limonite and hematite.
 Tarnish:
 This is the phenomenon of change of original colours of a mineral to
some secondary colours at its surface due to oxidation.
 Some minerals tarnish very quickly so that their exterior colour is quite
different from the interior colour. Eg: Bornite

5. EXPLAIN THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (I) LUSTRE AND (II) STREAK

(i) Lustre:

It is defined as the shine of a mineral. Technically speaking, it is the intensity of

reflection of light from the mineral surface.

It depends on three factors;

 The refractive index of the mineral

 The absorption capacity of the mineral

 The nature of the reflecting surface

The same mineral may show a poor luster on rough surface and brilliant
lustre on cleavage face.

Broadly speaking lustre may be classified into metallic and non metallic types.

4
 Lustre

Metallic Non Metallic

They have The reflection

characteristics of may vary from

high density, very brilliant

high refractive shine as that of

index, and diamonds to

opaque very feeble

greasy luster as
Eg: Galene, pyrite
that of olivine and

nepheline

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LUSTRES

S.NO TYPE OF REPRESENTED EXAMPLE

LUSTRE BY
1 Vitreous lustre A mineral having Quartz
a glassy shine
2 Pearly lustre A mineral having Muscovite
a pearly shine
3 Metallic lustre A mineral having Magnetite
a metallic shine
4 Silky lustre A mineral with a Asbestos
silky shine
5 Resinous lustre A mineral with a Talc
greasy shine
6 Admantine A mineral having a Diamond
lustre diamond like shine

5
(ii) Streak:

 It is an important and diagnostic property of many coloured minerals.

 Simply defined, streak is the colour of the finely powdered mineral as
obtained by scratching or rubbing the mineral over a rough
unglazed porcelain plate.
 The plate is often named as streak plate.
 Colourless and transparent minerals will always give colourless streak.
 The coloured and opaque minerals, especially of ore groups, give
typical characteristic streaks quite different from other similarly
looking minerals.

For Example:

 Chromite and magnetite resemble closely on their physical properties and

both are almost black.
 They may be distinguished by their streaks: Brown for chromite and black
for magnetite.

6. EXPLAIN THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (I) HARDNESS AND (II)

CLEAVAGE

(i)Hardness:

 Hardness may be defined as the resistance, which a mineral offers to an

external deformation action such as scratching, rubbing, abrasion or
indentation.
 Hardness of a mineral depends on the chemical composition and atomic
constitution.
 In 1822, Australian mineralogist F. Mohs proposed a relative, broadly
quantitative “scale of hardness” of minerals assigning values between
1 and 10.
 Since then the Mohs’ scale of hardness of minerals has been universally adopted.

6
  All minerals when pure, have been found to have a fairly constant
value on this scale and hence the importance of hardness as a diagnostic
property.
 The Mohs’ scale of hardness comprises ten minerals arranged in order of
ascending hardness; the softest is assigned a value of 1 and the hardest
value of 10.
 In practice hardness of any mineral can be determined with the help of minerals
from the above scale.

S.NO MINERAL HARDNESS(H)

1 Talc 1
2 Gypsum 2
3 Calcite 3
4 Fluorite 4
5 Apatite 5
6 Feldspar 6
7 Quartz 7
8 Topaz 8
9 Corundum 9
10 Diamond 10
11 Knife 6.5
12 Glass plate 5.5
13 Brass 3
14 Finger nail 2.5

Three facts need careful consideration in determining the hardness of a mineral on

Mohs’ scale;

1. Hardness is only a relative property. If talc has H=1 and quartz has H=7, it
does not indicate quartz is seven times harder than talc.
2. Hardness is a anisotropic property. The mineral may show different values
in different directions. In case of mineral Kyanite where H=4.5 along length and
H=6.5 across the length of crystal.

7
 3. Hardness decreases on decomposition of mineral due to atmospheric
attack on its surface. Hence it must be checked on unweathered and unaltered
surfaces only.

(ii) Cleavage:

 It is defined as the tendency of a crystallize mineral to break along

certain definite directions yielding more or less smooth plane
surfaces.
 In other words cleavage planes are the planes of easiest fractures and are
essentially indicative directions of least cohesion in the atomic constitution of the
mineral.
 A mineral may have cleavage in one, two or three directions.
 Further the degree of ease in splitting along cleavage directions may
vary in the same mineral.
 In terms of perfection, the cleavage may be described as: eminent, perfect, good,
distinct and indistinct.
 In eminent cleavage the mineral can split easily yielding extremely smooth
surfaces e.g. in mica. Perfect cleavages are seen in orthoclase and calcite.

The types of cleavage are described below,

S.NO TYPES OF REPRESENTED BY EXAMPLE

CLEAVAGE
1 Basal cleavage There is one set of Muscovite
cleavage.
2 Prismatic cleavage There are two sets of Hornblende
cleavage.
3 Cubic cleavage There are three sets of Galena
cleavage at right angle to
each other
4 Rhombohedral There are three sets of Calcite
cleavage cleavage other than right
angle
5 Octahedral cleavage There are four sets of Magnetite
cleavage.

8
7. EXPLAIN THE TERMS FRACTURE AND TENACITY IN DETAIL.

(*) Fracture:

 The appearance of the broken surface of a mineral in a direction other

than that of cleavage is generally expressed by the term fracture.
 In some cases fracture become the characteristic feature of the mineral.

The common types of fracture are;

S.No. Type Feature Example

1. Even Broken surface is smooth and flat Chert
2. Uneven Mineral breaks with an irregular surface which is Fluorite
full of minute ridges and depressions

3. Conchoidal Broken surface of the mineral shows broadly Quartz

concentric rings or concavities which may be deep
or faint in outline.
4. Splintry Mineral breaks with rough woody fracture Kyanite
resulting in rough projection at the surface
5. Hackly Broken surface is highly irregular with numerous Native
sharp, fine, pinching projections copper
6. Earthy Surface is smooth, soft and porous Chalk

(*) Tenacity:

The behavior of the mineral towards the forces that tend to break,
bend, cut or crush is known as tenacity. The important terms in tenacity are;

 When a mineral can be cut with a knife it can be described as Sectile

 If a slices cut out of it can be flattened under a hammer, it is said to be
malleable
 Most of the minerals exhibit the property of Brittleness, by virtue of which
they can change into fine grain or powder when scratched with a knife

9
  A mineral is said to be flexible when it can be bent especially in thin sheets
(Eg: Chlorite)
 Some minerals are not only flexible nut elastic, they regain their shape when
the force is applied on them is removed (Eg: Mica)
 The flexible and elastic fibres of asbestos can be woven into fire-proof fabric

8. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STRUCTURES OR FORMS IN MINERAL?

Minerals often occur in characteristic body forms or physical shapes. The

physical make up of a mineral is expressed by the term structure. Following
are a fe common structural forms observed in minerals,

(1) Tabular: The mineral occurs in the form of a flattened square, rectangular or
rhombohedral shape.

(2) Elongated: When the mineral is in the form of a thin or thick elongated,
coloumn like crystals. eg: Beryl, quartz, hornblende

(3) Bladed: The mineral appears as if composed of thin, flat, blade like
overlapping parts. eg: Kyanite

(4) Lamellar: The mineral is made up of relatively thick, flexible, leaf like
sheets. eg: Vermiculite

(5) Foliated: The structure is similar to lamellar shape but in this case the individual
sheets are paper thin, even thinner and can be easily separated. eg: mica

(6) Fibrous: When a mineral is composed of fibres, generally seperable either

quite easily or with some difficulty. eg: asbestos, gypsum

(7) Radiating: The mineral is made up of needle like or fibrous crystals which
appear originating from a common point thereby giving a radiating
appearance. eg: iron pyrites. When needles are pointed and not necessarily radiating,
the structure is called acicular.

(8) Granular: The mineral occurs in the form of densely packed mass of small
grain like crystals. eg: chromite

10
(9) Globular: When the mineral surface is in the form of rounded, bulb like
overlapping globules or projections. eg: hematite

(10) Reniform: It is similar to globular but the shape of the bulbs or projections
resembles to human kidneys. eg: hematite

9. EXPLAIN SPECIFIC GRAVITY AND FORM OF MINERALS.

(i) Specific gravity:

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio between the density of a mineral and
that of water at 4°C. Specific gravity is also termed as relative density.

Specific gravity of minerals depends on:

# Composition: The non-metallic minerals have low values, ranging between 2.5 to
4.5 g/cc, whereas metallic minerals and ores have densities as high as 20 g/cc.

# Atomic constitution: Minerals with greater atomic radii shows less density values
compared with those made of atoms of smaller atomic radii.

Specific gravity of common minerals is: quartz(2.65), fluorite(3.18), hematite(5.2),

chalcopyrite(4.2), galena(7.5), native gold(19.3)

(ii) Forms:

It is the internal atomic arrangement of minerals which is responsible

for the development of atomic shapes or crystal characters. Following three
terms are used to describe the form of a mineral;

 Crystallized: When the mineral appears in the form of well defined crystals
as represented by crystal faces and angles or when it shows perfect
cleavage, which is also indicative of perfect atomic arrangement
 Crystalline: When well defined crystals are absent but the mineral
shows a clear tendency towards crystallization as evidences by
development of small grains each of which is virtually an incipient crystals.
 Amorphous: Neither a crystal faces nor a cleavage is seen. There is no
evidence of orderly arrangement of atoms.

11
10. GIVE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF QUARTZ GROUP. (MAY/JUNE
2014)

S.NO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES EXPLANATION

1 Chemical composition (SiO2)

2 Crystal system Hexagonal crystal system

3 Colour Black,pink,yellow

4 Cleavage No

5 Hardness 7

6 Specific gravity 2.65

7 Tenacity No

8 Fracture Conchoidal fracture

9 Streak No

10 Lustre vitreous

11 Transparency No

12 Present in Igneous rock

13 Uses Manufacturing glass, pottery, optical instruments etc.

12
11. WRITE DOWN THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF FELDSPAR GROUP.
(MAY/JUNE 2013) (APR/MAY 2011)

FELDSPAR FAMILY
(i) PLAGIOCLASE FELDSPAR
S.NO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES EXPLANATION
1 Chemical composition (Na.AL.Si3O8) and (Ca AL2,SI2O8)
2 Crystal system Triclinic crystal system
3 Colour White to grey
4 Cleavage Double cleavage at about 90 degree
5 Hardness 6
6 Specific gravity 2.6
7 Tenacity -
8 Fracture Uneven
9 Streak White
10 Lustre Pearly
11 Transparency -
12 Present in Igneous rock
FELDSPAR FAMILY
(ii) ORTHOCLASE FELDSPAR
S.NO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES EXPLANATION
1 Chemical composition (K AL Si3O8)
2 Crystal system monoclinic crystal system
3 Colour Pink to flesh co lour
4 Cleavage Perfect Double cleavage at about 90 degree
5 Hardness 6
6 Specific gravity 2.56-2.58
7 Tenacity -
8 Fracture Uneven
9 Streak White
10 Lustre vitreous
11 transparency -
12 Present in Igneous rock

13
 FELDSPAR FAMILY
(iii) MICROLINE FELDSPAR
S.NO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES EXPLANATION
1 Chemical composition (Na.AL.Si3O8) and (Ca AL2,SI2O8)
2 Crystal system Triclinic crystal system
3 Colour White to grey
4 Cleavage Double cleavage at about 90 degree
5 Hardness 6
6 Specific gravity 2.6
7 Tenacity -
8 Fracture Uneven
9 Streak White
10 Lustre Vitreous
11 Transparency -
12 Present in Igneous rock

12. GIVE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HYPERSTHENE AND AUGITE

OF PYROXENE GROUP.

HYPERSTHENE

S.No. PROPERTIES EXPLANATION

Chemical
1. (Fe, Mg) SiO3
formula
2. Cleavage Prismatic
3. Colour Commonly green, olive green to greenish black
4. Hardness 5-6
5. Specific gravity 3.4-3.5
6. Lustre Pearly to vitreous
7. Streak Grey
It is primarily a silicate of magnesium with more than 14% of
8. Composition
FeO. Alumina is also present in some varieties
9. Occurrence Igneous rocks

14
 AUGITE

PHYSICAL
S.NO EXPLANATION
PROPERTIES
1 Chemical composition [(Ca,Na)(Mg,FeII,FeIII,AL)(Si,AL)2O6]
2 Crystal system Monoclinic crystal system
3 Colour Black-dark green
Two dimensional distinct prismatic cleavage at about 90
4 Cleavage
degree
5 Hardness 5 to 6
6 Specific gravity 3.2-3.5
7 Tenacity -
8 Fracture Uneven
9 Streak Grayish white
10 Lustre Vitreous
11 Transparency -
12 Present in Igneous rock, metamorphic rock
13 Uses Making gem stones

13. DESCRIBE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AMPHIBOLE GROUP.

AMPHIBOLE GROUP

(i) ANTHOPHYLLITE

S.No. PROPERTIES EXPLANATION

1. Chemical formula (Mg, Fe)3 [Si4O11]2[OH]2
2. Cleavage Perfect and prismatic
3. Colour Grey, brownish or greenish
4. Hardness 5.5-6
5. Specific gravity 2.85-3.20
6. Lustre Vitreous
7. Occurrence Metamorphic rocks

15
 (ii) TREMOLITE

S.No. PROPERTIES EXPLANATION

1. Chemical formula (Ca2 Mg5) [Si4O11]2[OH]2
2. Cleavage Perfect and prismatic
3. Colour white to light grey
4. Hardness 5.5-6
5. Specific gravity 2.9-3.0
6. Lustre Vitreous
Igneous and Metamorphic
7. Occurrence
rocks

(iii) ACTINOLITE

S.No. PROPERTIES EXPLANATION

1. Chemical formula Ca2(Mg, Fe)5 [Si4O11]2[OH]2

2. Cleavage Perfect and prismatic

3. Colour Mostly green in colour due to ferrous ion

4. Hardness 5.5-6 (in crystals only)

5. Specific gravity 3.1-3.3

6. Lustre Vitreous

7. Occurrence Metamorphic rocks

16
14. GIVE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HORNBLENDE. (APR/MAY
2011)

HORNBLENDE

S.NO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES EXPLANATION

1 Chemical composition [Ca2Na (Mg,FeII) (AL,FeIII,Ti) (AL.Si)8O22 (O,OH)2]

2 Crystal system Monoclinic crystal system

3 Colour Black-dark green

4 Cleavage Directional distinct cleavage at about 120 degree

5 Hardness 5

6 Specific gravity 2.9-3.4

7 Tenacity -

8 Fracture Uneven

9 Streak Greenish white

10 Lustre vitreous

11 Transparency -

12 Present in Acidic Igneous rock

13 Uses Manufacturing cement

17
15. GIVE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MUSCOVITE AND BIOTITE OF
MICA GROUP.

MUSCOVITE OR POTAS MICA

S.NO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES EXPLANATION

1 Chemical composition [K AL2(AL Si3 O10) (OH)2]

2 Crystal system Monoclinic crystal system

3 Colour White

4 Cleavage perfect cleavage at about 90 degree

5 Hardness 2 to 2.5

6 Specific gravity 2.7-2.9

7 Tenacity -

8 Fracture Even

9 Streak No

10 Lustre Vitreous to pearly

11 Transparency -

12 Present in Igneous rock, metamorphic rock

13 Uses Used as an insulating material in electric instruments.

18
 BIOTITE MICA

PHYSICAL
S.No. EXPLANATION
PROPERTIES

1 Chemical composition H2K(MgFe)3AL(SIO4)9

2 Crystal system Foliated commonly flaky

3 Colour Brownish black

4 Cleavage One set of perfect basal cleavage

5 Hardness 2 to 2.5

6 Specific gravity 2.9-3.1

7 Tenacity -

8 Fracture Uneven

9 Streak Pale brown

10 Lustre Pearl

11 Transparency -

12 Present in Acidic Igneous rock

13 Uses Manufacturing cement

19
16. WRITE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CALCITE, GYPSUM AND
CLAY MINERALS.

CALCITE (APR/MAY 2011)

PHYSICAL
S.NO EXPLANATION
PROPERTIES
Chemical
1 (CaCO3)
composition

2 Crystal system Hexagonal crystal system, may occur in prismatic crystal system

3 Colour White or colourless

4 Cleavage Perfect typical rhombohedral cleavage

5 Hardness 2.5 to 3

6 Specific gravity 2.7

7 Tenacity -

8 Fracture Conchoidal fracture

9 Streak No

10 Lustre Vitreous to earthy

11 Transparency Transparent to opaque

12 Present in Metamorphic rock

13 Appearance Tabular or granular , fibrous

Used for making prisms used in optical instruments, manufacturing

14 Uses cement, bleaching powder, used as building stone and as a road
metal.

20
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GYPSUM

Chemical Classification Sulfate

Color clear, colorless, white, gray, yellow, red,

brown

Streak White

Luster vitreous, silky, sugary

Diaphaneity transparent to translucent

Cleavage Perfect

Mohs Hardness 2

Specific Gravity 2.3

Diagnostic Properties cleavage, specific gravity, low hardness

Chemical Composition hydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO4.2H2O

Crystal System Monoclinic

Uses Use to manufacture dry wall, plaster, joint

compound. An agricultural soil treatment.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CLAY

 Clay mineral particles are commonly too small for measuring precise optical
properties.
 Reported refractive indices of clay minerals generally fall within a relatively
narrow range from 1.47 to 1.68.
 In general, iron-rich mineral species show high refractive indices, whereas the
water-rich porous species have lower ones.
 Specific gravities of most clay minerals are within the range from 2 to 3.3.
 Their hardness generally falls below 2 1/2, except for antigorite, whose hardness
is reported to be 2 1/2–3 ½

21
 TWO MARKS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. DEFINE MINERAL.

A mineral is defined as the naturally occurring inorganic solid

substance that is characterized with a definite chemical composition and very often

with a definite atomic structure.

2. WHAT IS MINERALOGY?

Mineralogy is a branch of geology that deals with various aspects related to

minerals such as their individual properties, their mode of formation and

mode of occurrence.

3. DEFINE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES.

Each mineral is generally characterized with a set of properties, some of which

are always distinctive related to the body of a mineral, eg: its colour, shine, shape,

hardness etc are aptly termed as physical properties.

4. DEFINE OPTICAL PROPERTIES.

Some other properties like behavior towards light require extremely thin

sections of minerals through which light can pass and are best studied with the help of

microscope. These are termed as optical properties.

5. DEFINE CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF A MINERAL.

A third group of properties involving chemical analysis of the minerals to

know their constituents, qualitatively and quantitatively, fall under the category of

chemical properties.

22
6. WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF A MINERAL?

The physical properties of minerals are;

 Colour

 Lustre

 Streak

 Hardness

 Cleavage

 Fracture

 Tenacity

 Structure(Form)

 Specific gravity

7. BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THE PROPERTY OF COLOUR IN A MINERAL.

The colour of any object is a light dependant property; it is the

appearance of the particular object in light. A particular colour is produced by

reflection of some and absorption of other components in white light. A mineral

shows colour of that wavelength of the white light which is not absorbed,

by virtue of its composition and atomic structure.

8. ON BASIS OF COLOUR MINERALS ARE DIVIDED INTO HOW MANY

TYPES?

# Idiochromatic

# Allochromatic

# Pseudochromatic
23
9. DEFINE THE TERM IDIOCHROMATIC.

Mineral has fairly constant colour related primarily to the composition of

mineral. Metallic minerals belong to this category. Eg: Copper

10. DEFINE THE TERM ALLOCHROMATIC.

They have variable colour; the variety in colour is generally due to minute

quantities of colouring impurities thoroughly dispersed in the mineral

composition. Eg: Non metallic minerals like quartz, calcite, fluorite may occur in more

than two colours depending upon the nature of impurities.

11. DEFINE THE TERM PSEUDOCHROMATIC IN CASE OF COLOUR OF A

MINERAL.

Mineral show false colour. Such effect generally happens when a mineral

is rotated in hand. It is seen to show a set of colours in succession. This change or

play of colours is attributed to simultaneous reflection and refraction

from the mineral surface due to minute inclusions of impurities in the mineral at

different locations.

12. WHAT IS MEANT BY PLAY OF COLOURS?

It is the development of series of prismatic colours shown by some

minerals on turning about in light. The colour change in rapid succession on

rotation and their effect is quite brilliant and appealing to the eye. These are caused

by the interference of light reflected from numerous cleavage surfaces of

the mineral. Eg: Diamond

24
13. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY THE TERM CHANGE OF COLOURS?

It is similar to play of colours except that the rate of change of colours on

rotation and their intensity is rather low. Each colour continues over a large

space of the mineral befor the other takes over. Eg: Labradorite

14. DEFINE THE TERM IRIDESCENCE.

Some minerals show rainbow colours either in their interior or on the

exterior surface. This is called iridescence. Eg: Limonite and hematite.

15. WHAT IS MEANT BY TARNISH?

This is the phenomenon of change of original colours of a mineral to

some secondary colours at its surface due to oxidation. Some minerals tarnish

very quickly so that their exterior colour is quite different from the interior colour. Eg:

Bornite.

16. DEFINE LUSTRE OF A MINERAL. (APR/MAY 2011)

It is defined as the shine of a mineral. Technically speaking, it is the intensity of

reflection of light from the mineral surface.

17. ON WHAT FACTORS DOES THE LUSTRE OF A MINERAL DEPENDS

ON?

It depends on three factors;

 The refractive index of the mineral

 The absorption capacity of the mineral

 The nature of the reflecting surface

25
18. LUSTRE OF A MINERAL IS BROADLY CLASSIFIED INTO HOW MANY

TYPES? EXPLAIN THEM.

(i) Metallic

They have characteristics of high density, high refractive index, and opaque

Eg: Galene, pyrite

(ii) Non Metallic

The reflection may vary from very brilliant shine as that of diamonds to very

feeble greasy luster as that of olivine and nepheline

19. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF LUSTRE?

 Vitreous lustre

 Pearly lustre

 Metallic lustre

 Silky lustre

 Resinous lustre

 Admantine lustre

20. DEFINE STREAK. (APR/MAY 2011)

It is an important and diagnostic property of many coloured minerals.

Simply defined, streak is the colour of the finely powdered mineral as obtained by

scratching or rubbing the mineral over a rough unglazed porcelain plate.

26
21. DEFINE HARDNESS.

Hardness may be defined as the resistance, which a mineral offers to an

external deformation action such as scratching, rubbing, abrasion or

indentation. Hardness of a mineral depends on the chemical composition and atomic

constitution.

22. WHAT IS MEANT BY MOH’S SCALE OF HARDNESS? (NOV/DEC 2010)

(MAY/JUNE 2012)

The Mohs’ scale of hardness comprises ten minerals arranged in order of

ascending hardness; the softest is assigned a value of 1 and the hardest value of

10. In practice hardness of any mineral can be determined with the help of minerals

from the above scale.

23. WHAT IS THE THREE FACTS NEED CAREFUL CONSIDERATION IN

DETERMINING THE HARDNESS OF A MINERAL ON MOHS’ SCALE?

4. Hardness is only a relative property. If talc has H=1 and quartz has H=7, it

does not indicate quartz is seven times harder than talc.

5. Hardness is a anisotropic property. The mineral may show different values

in different directions.

6. Hardness decreases on decomposition of mineral due to atmospheric

attack on its surface.

24. WHAT IS MEANT BY CLEAVAGE?

It is defined as the tendency of a crystallize mineral to break along

certain definite directions yielding more or less smooth plane surfaces. In

27
other words cleavage planes are the planes of easiest fractures and are essentially

indicative directions of least cohesion in the atomic constitution of the mineral.

25. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF CLEAVAGE?

 Basal cleavage

 Prismatic cleavage

 Cubic cleavage

 Rhombohedral cleavage

 Octahedral cleavage

26. WHAT IS MEANT BY FRACTURE?

The appearance of the broken surface of a mineral in a direction

other than that of cleavage is generally expressed by the term fracture. In some

cases fracture become the characteristic feature of the mineral.

27. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FRACTURE?

 Even

 Uneven

 Conchoidal

 Splintry

 Hackly

 Earthy

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28. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EVEN AND UNEVEN FRACTURE.

Even Fracture Uneven Fracture

Mineral breaks with an irregular surface

Broken surface is smooth and flat which is full of minute ridges and

depressions

Eg: Chert Eg: Fluorite

29. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CONCHOIDAL AND SPLINTRY FRACTURE.

Conchoidal Fracture Splintry Fracture

Broken surface of the mineral shows Mineral breaks with rough woody fracture

broadly concentric rings or concavities resulting in rough projection at the surface

which may be deep or faint in outline.

Eg: Quartz Eg: Kyanite

30. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HACKLY AND EARTHY FRACTURE.

Hackly Fracture Earthy Fracture

Broken surface is highly irregular with Surface is smooth, soft and porous

numerous sharp, fine, pinching projections

Eg: Native copper Eg: Chalk

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31. DEFINE TENACITY.

The behavior of the mineral towards the forces that tend to break,

bend, cut or crush is known as tenacity.

32. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STRUCTURAL FORMS OF A MINERAL?

1. Tabular

2. Elongated

3. Bladed

4. Lamellar

5. Foliated

6. Fibrous

7. Radiating

8. Granular

9. Globular

10. Reniform

33. DEFINE TABULAR STRUCTURE.

The mineral occurs in the form of a flattened square, rectangular or

rhombohedral shape.

34. DEFINE ELONGATED STRUCTURE.

When the mineral is in the form of a thin or thick elongated, coloumn like

crystals. eg: Beryl, quartz, hornblende

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35. DEFINE BLADED STRUCTURE.

The mineral appears as if composed of thin, flat, blade like overlapping

parts. eg: Kyanite

36. DEFINE LAMELLAR STRUCTURE.

The mineral is made up of relatively thick, flexible, leaf like sheets. eg:

Vermiculite

37. DEFINE FOLIATED STRUCTURE.

The structure is similar to lamellar shape but in this case the individual sheets

are paper thin, even thinner and can be easily separated. eg: mica

38. DEFINE FIBROUS STRUCTURE.

When a mineral is composed of fibres, generally seperable either quite

easily or with some difficulty. eg: asbestos, gypsum

39. DEFINE RADIATING STRUCTURE.

The mineral is made up of needle like or fibrous crystals which appear

originating from a common point thereby giving a radiating appearance. eg:

iron pyrites.

40. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM ACICULAR?

When needles are pointed and not necessarily radiating, the structure is called

acicular.

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41. DEFINE GRANULAR STRUCTURE.

The mineral occurs in the form of densely packed mass of small grain like

crystals. eg: chromite

42. DEFINE GLOBULAR STRUCTURE.

When the mineral surface is in the form of rounded, bulb like overlapping

globules or projections. eg: hematite

43. DEFINE RENIFORM STRUCTURE.

It is similar to globular but the shape of the bulbs or projections

resembles to human kidneys. eg: hematite

44. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FORM OF A MINERAL?

 Crystallized

 Crystalline

 Amorphous

45. DEFINE THE TERM CRYSTALLIZED.

When the mineral appears in the form of well defined crystals as

represented by crystal faces and angles or when it shows perfect cleavage,

which is also indicative of perfect atomic arrangement

46. DEFINE THE TERM CRYSTALLINE.

When well defined crystals are absent but the mineral shows a clear

tendency towards crystallization as evidences by development of small grains each

of which is virtually an incipient crystals.

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47. DEFINE THE TERM AMORPHOUS WITH RESPECT TO FORM OF A

MINERAL.

Neither a crystal faces nor a cleavage is seen. There is no evidence of

orderly arrangement of atoms.

48. STATE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF QUARTZ GROUP.

Colour - Black,pink,yellow

Cleavage - No

Hardness - 7

Specific gravity - 2.65

49. WRITE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PLAGIOCLASE

FELDSPAR.

Colour - White to grey

Cleavage - Double cleavage at about 90 degree

Hardness - 6

Specific gravity - 2.6

50. STATE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ORTHOCLASE

FELDSPAR.

Colour - Pink to flesh co lour

Cleavage - Perfect Double cleavage at about 90 degree

Hardness - 6

Specific gravity - 2.56-2.58

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51. WRITE DOWN ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MICROCLINE

FELDSPAR.

Colour - White to grey

Cleavage - Double cleavage at about 90 degree

Hardness - 6

Specific gravity - 2.6

52. STATE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HYPERSTHENE.

Colour - Commonly green, olive green to greenish black

Hardness - 5-6

Specific gravity - 3.4-3.5

Lustre - Pearly to vitreous

53. GIVE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AUGITE.

Hardness - 5 to 6

Specific gravity - 3.2-3.5

Tenacity - Nil

Fracture - Uneven

54. STATE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HORNBLENDE.

Hardness - 5

Specific gravity - 2.9-3.4

Tenacity - Nil

Fracture - Uneven

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55. WRITE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MUSCOVITE OR

POTAS MICA. (MAY/JUNE 2014)

Colour - White

Cleavage - perfect cleavage at about 90 degree

Hardness - 2 to 2.5

Specific gravity - 2.7-2.9

56. STATE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BIOTITE MICA.

(MAY/JUNE 2014)

Colour - Brownish black

Cleavage - One set of perfect basal cleavage

Hardness - 2 to 2.5

Specific gravity - 2.9-3.1

57. STATE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CALCITE. (NOV/DEC

2009)(MAY/JUNE 2012)

Colour - White or colourless

Cleavage - Perfect typical rhombohedral cleavage

Hardness - 2.5 to 3

Specific gravity - 2.7

58. WRITE ANY FOUR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GYPSUM.

Cleavage - perfect

Mohs Hardness -2

Specific Gravity - 2.3

Diagnostic Properties - cleavage, specific gravity, low hardness

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 59. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN AUGITE AND HORNBLENDE. (MAY/JUNE

2014)

AUGITE HORNBLENDE

Hardness - 5 to 6 Hardness - 5

Specific gravity - 3.2-3.5 Specific gravity - 2.9-3.4

Tenacity - Nil Tenacity - Nil

Fracture - Uneven Fracture - Uneven

60. WRITE THE MOH’S SCALE OF HARDNESS. (APR/MAY 2010)

(NOV/DEC 2010)

The Mohs’ scale of hardness comprises ten minerals arranged in order of

ascending hardness; the softest is assigned a value of 1 and the hardest value of

10. In practice hardness of any mineral can be determined with the help of minerals

from the above scale.

S.NO MINERAL HARDNESS(H)

1 Talc 1
2 Gypsum 2
3 Calcite 3
4 Fluorite 4
5 Apatite 5
6 Feldspar 6
7 Quartz 7
8 Topaz 8
9 Corundum 9
10 Diamond 10
11 Knife 6.5
12 Glass plate 5.5
13 Brass 3
14 Finger nail 2.5

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