Rocks are aggregates oI substances called mineral, which as a rule are crystalline solids with

Iairly deIinite compositions and structures. Some rocks, Ior instance limestone, consist a single
mineral only, but majority consist oI several minerals in varying proportions. The diIIerent
mineral in a coarse grained rock like granite are apparent to the eye ; in Iine grained tock the
separate minerals can be discerned with the help oI a microscope.

It is not diIIicult to understand why certain substances occur as minerals and why other s do not.
We expect to Iind more chemically inactive elements, such as gold, platinum and sulIur, in Iree
state, whereas chemically active elements such as sodium, calcium and chlorine, are always
Iound in combination as compounds. Compounds readily soluble in water such as sodium
chloride , sodium carbonate and potassium nitrate, Iorms deposits in desert regions but are rare
elsewhere. Substances that tend to react with oxygen occur only well below that surIace away
Irom oxygen Irom the atmosphere. Unstable compounds like phosphorus pentoxide are
necessarily absent Irom the earth`s crust.

Silicates are by Iar the most abundant minerals ; mica, Ieldspar and topaz are Iamiliar examples.
Carbonate are another important class, its most conspicuous representative being the carbonate
oI calcium call calcite. Oxides and hydrated oxide include such common materials as hematite (
Ierric oxide ), the chieI ore oI iron and bauxite ( hydrated aluminum oxide ), the chieI ore oI
aluminum. Various metals are obtained Irom deposits oI sulIide minerals , such as galena ( lead
sulIide ) and sphalerite (zinc sulIide ) . Elements that occur Iree, or native, were mentioned
above. Less Irequent as minerals are sulIates phosphates and chlorides.

UnIortunately the study oI minerals requires the learning oI a special list oI names, some oI them
apparently duplicates oI other names. As an example, the minerals caco3 is given the name
calcite instead oI the chemical name calcium carbonate. For this seeming redundancy there are
two reason.

1. The Iormulas caco3 describes not only the composition oI calcite but also aragonite , a
last common mineral with a diIIerent crystal Iorm, hardness , density and so on ; the
chemical name calcium carbonate alone does not distinguish between calcite and
aragonite.
2. Calcite oIten contain small quantities oI mgco3 and Ieco3 and its composition is not
precisely represented by Iormula caco3 because the iron and magnesium carbonates Iorm
an integral part oI calcite structure with Ie and mg atoms replacing some oI ca atoms in
the crystal lattice.

Many other mineral Iormulas beside that oI calcite apply two or more distinct substances, and
most minerals show a similar slight variability in composition. Hence chemical names are
seldom really applicable , and the student oI minerals Iinds necessary a new nomenclature .

Luckily , Ior present purpose we need only a Iew addition to our vocabulary. More than 2000
diIIerent minerals are known, but most oI these are rare. Even among commoners minerals, the
greater number occur abundantly only occasional veins, pocket, and layers. This number oI
mineral that are important constituents oI ordinary rock is surprisingly small, so small that
acquaintance with less than a dozen is adequate Ior introduction to geology.

Mineral property

Common mineral not only limited in number but also easily recognizable with some experience,
oIten by appearance alone. To distinguish the rarer minerals microscopic examination and
chemical test maybe necessary, but Ior the mineral that compose ordinary rock such as simple
physical property as density, color and hardness (table 3.1) and crystal Iorm make identiIication
relatively straightIorward.

in describing the important rock-Iorming minerals, two properties need special attention crystal
Iorm and cleavage Most mineral are crystalline solids, which means that their tiny particles
(atoms, ions, or atom groups) are arranged in lattice structures with deIinite geometric patterns.
When a mineral grain develops in a position where its growth is not hindered by neighboring
crystals, as in an open cavity, its inner structure expresses itselI by the Iormation oI perIect
crystals, with smooth Iaces meeting each other at sharp angles. Every. mineral has crystals oI a
distinctive shape so that Well Iormed crystals make recognition oI a mineral easy; unIortunately
good crystals are rare, since mineral grains usually interIere with one another`s growth.

TABLE 3.1

The hardness scale. Each mineral on the scale and in turn can be scratched by those high scale a
Iingernail is about 2.5 in hardness and a kniIe blade is about 5.5

1. Tale (soItest)
2. Gypsum
3. Calcite
4. Fluorite
5. Apatite
6. Orthoclase
7. Quartz
8. Topaz
9. Corundum
10.Diamond (hardest)

Even when well-developed crystals are not Present, however, the characteristic lattice structure
oI a mineral may reveal itselI in the property called cleavage. This is the tendency oI a substance
to split along certain planes, which are determined by the arrangement oI particles in its lattice.
When a mineral grain is struck with a hammer, its cleavage planes are revealed as the preIerred
directions oI breaking; even without actual breaking, the existence. OI cleavage in a mineral is
usually shown by Ilat, parallel Iaces and minute parallel cracks. The Ilat surIaces oI mica Ilakes,
Ior instance, and the ability oI mica to peel oII in thin sheets show that this mineral has almost
perIect cleavage. Some minerals (Ior example, quartz) have practically no cleavage; when struck
they. shatter, like glass, along random curved surIaces. The ability to recognize diIIerent kin&
and degrees oI cleavage is an important ability in distinguishing minerals.

B. Check your understanding

Now read the text again careIully, checking up anything you do not understand. Then answer the
Iollowing questions.

1. What is a mineral?
2. What rock is made up oI one mineral only?
3. is chlorine a chemically inactive element?
4. what do sodium chloride, sodium carbonate and potassium have in common?
5. What are the commonest minerals?
6. Why do you need to learn a special list oI names to study minerals?
7. How many minerals are known to exist?
8. To stat studying geology, how many minerals do you need to know about?
9. What are crystal Iorm and cleavage
10.Does every mineral contain crystals oI the same shape?

C. lncrease your vocabulary

1. Look at the Iirst two paragraphs and say
which words are used to mean:
diIIerent materials brought together into a
mass
most/the greater part or number
distinguish
can be dissolved in a liquid
likely to move or change

2, Now look at paragraph 3 and Iind three
words that have the opposite meaning to
rare

3. Now look at paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 and
say which words in the text you could replace with
amounts
exactly r rarely
changeability
suIIicient/enough


4. Now look at paragraph 7 and say which
words in the paragraph mean:

the way something looks
make up
uncomplicated/easy

5. Now look at the rest oI the passage and
explain what these words mean:

crystalline solid
grain
cavity
plane
parallel
Ilake