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Matter and Minerals (part II)

Minerals: the building blocks of rocks


Definition of a Mineral:
naturally occurring
inorganic
solid
characteristic crystalline structure
definite chemical composition

How do we identify minerals?


Physical properties:

Color
Luster
Hardness
Crystal shape
Cleavage
Specific gravity
Other

Physical Properties of Minerals


Color:
Most obvious, but often misleading
Different colors may result from impurities

Example:
Quartz

Physical Properties of Minerals


Color:
Streak color of a mineral in powdered form
(used for metallic minerals)

Obtained by scratching a
mineral on a piece of
unglazed porcelain.

Example:
Hematite

Physical Properties of Minerals


Luster:
How a mineral surface reflects light
Two major types:
Metallic luster
Non-metallic luster

Metallic
example:
Galena

Non-metallic
example:
Orthoclase

Physical Properties of Minerals


Hardness:
How easy it is to scratch a mineral
Mohs Scale of Hardness
relative scale
consists of 10 minerals, ranked 1 (softest) to 10
(hardest)

Mohs Scale of Hardness


Hardest (10) Diamond
Softest (1) Talc
Common objects:
- Fingernail (2.5)
- Copper penny (3.5)
- Wire nail (4.5)
- Glass (5.5)
- Streak plate (6.5)

Physical Properties of Minerals


Crystal shape (or form):
external expression of a minerals internal atomic
structure
planar surfaces are called crystal faces
angles between crystal faces are constant for any
particular mineral

Quartz

Pyrite

Physical Properties of Minerals


Cleavage vs. Fracture:
The way a mineral breaks
Cleavage: tendency of a mineral to break along
planes of weakness
Minerals that do not exhibit cleavage are said to
fracture
Do not confuse cleavage planes with crystal faces!
Crystal faces are just on the surface and may not repeat
when the mineral is broken.

Physical Properties of Minerals


Cleavage is described by:
Number of planes
Angles between adjacent planes
These are constant for a particular mineral

Physical Properties of Minerals


Cleavage (1 direction):

Example: mica

Physical Properties of Minerals


Cleavage (2 directions):

orthoclase

amphibole

Physical Properties of Minerals


Cleavage (3 directions):

halite

calcite

Physical Properties of Minerals


Cleavage (4 directions):

fluorite

Physical Properties of Minerals


Fracture:

minerals that do not exhibit cleavage are said to


fracture

smooth, curved
surfaces when minerals
break in a glass-like
manner: conchoidal
fracture
Quartz

Physical Properties of Minerals


Specific gravity:
weight of a mineral divided by weight of an equal
volume of water
metallic minerals tend to have higher specific
gravity than non-metallic minerals
Galena
SG=7.5

Quartz
SG=2.67

Physical Properties of Minerals


Other properties:
reaction with hydrochloric acid (calcite fizzes)
taste (halite tastes salty)
feel (talc feels soapy, graphite feels greasy)
magnetism (magnetite attracts a magnet)

Mineral Groups
Rock-forming minerals
~30 common minerals make up most rocks in
Earths crust
Composed mainly of the 8 elements that make up
over 98% of the crust

Mineral Groups
Element Abundances

SILICATES

Common cations that


bond with silica anions
All others:

1.5%

Silica
(SiO4)4-

Mineral Groups
Silicates (most abundant)
Non-silicates (~8% of Earths crust):

Oxides
O2Carbonates
Sulfides
Sulfates
Halides
Native elements

(CO3)2S2(SO4)2Cl-, F-, Br(single elements; e.g., Au)

Mineral Groups Silicates


Silicates
Tetrahedron
fundamental
building block
4 oxygen ions
surrounding a much
smaller silicon ion

Silicon-oxygen
tetrahedron
(SiO4)4-

Mineral Groups Silicates


Joining Silicate Structures
How tetrahedra may be linked:
independent tetrahedra
single chains
double chains
sheets
3-D framework

Mineral Groups
Silicates

Mineral Groups Silicates


Olivine Group

dark silicates (Fe-Mg)

ferromagnesian

No cleavage

Mineral Groups Silicates


Pyroxene Group

Ferromagnesian / dark silicates (Fe-Mg)

Augite
2-directions
of cleavage
(at nearly 90 degrees)

Mineral Groups Silicates


Amphibole Group

Ferromagnesian / dark silicates (Ca, Fe-Mg)

Hornblende
2-directions
of cleavage
(not at 90 degrees)

Mineral Groups Silicates


Mica Group and Clay Minerals

light silicates (K, Al) non-ferromagnesian

Muscovite
1-direction
of cleavage

Mineral Groups Silicates


Feldspar Group

K-feldspar

light silicates (K-Na-Ca, Al)

Most common mineral group


Orthoclase
Plagioclase

2-directions
of cleavage
(at 90 degrees)

Ca/Na-feldspar

Mineral Groups Silicates


Quartz

light silicates (pure SiO2)

no cleavage
(conchoidal fracture)

hard, resistant to weathering

Quartz

Mineral Groups
Non-ferromagnesian
Silicates (K, Na, Ca, Al)

Ferromagnesian
Silicates (Fe, Mg)
Oxides
Carbonates
Sulfides/sulfates
Native elements

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