MEHRAN UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING

AND TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING GEOLOGY PRACTICAL

NO:1
TOPIC: TO DETERMINE PHYSICAL
PROPERTIES OF MINERALS.

NAME: HUZAIFA ALI

ROLL NO: 18CE193
SUBMITTED TO: SIR AMMAR NOOR
MEMON
OBJECT:
To determine the physical properties of minerals.

THEORY:

1)MINERALS:
Mineral is a homogeneous body with a highly ordered arrangement of atoms in atomic structure as a
result of crystallization. Mineral is an integral part of the Earth's crust, and has a constant chemical
composition that can be expressed by chemical formula. In the specific conditions of temperature and
pressure, minerals have stable physical properties. Constancy of the chemical composition of a mineral
is reflected in the fact that any mineral of the same kind anywhere on the Earth has molecules of equal
composition. If we break it in smaller pieces, it will still have same characteristics and chemical
composition as of the parent mineral. For example, every piece of quartz(SiO2) always contains 46.73%
silicon and 53.27% oxygen.
2) MINEROLOGY:
Mineralogy is the systematic study that extensively covers description, crystallography, physical,
chemical and environmental features of all minerals. The mineralogy has more scientific branches such
as the following but we will discuss its only one branch:

 PHYSICAL MINEROLOGY:
Physical mineralogy is the study of physical properties of minerals, such as cohesion (hardness, cleavage,
elasticity, and density, optical, thermal and magnetic properties, electrical conductivity,
and radioactivity, and so on.

3) PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS:

Physical properties of minerals help us to identify the rock and is very important property because
chemical proproperties also depends upon physical properties.There are many physical properties which
are mentioned below:

4) CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND HABITS:

Minerals usually form distinct crystals. The shape of the crystals has been found to play an important
role in the identification of minerals. The study of crystals is called crystallography and is an important
field of study. Not only do scientists in this field study natural crystals but also the crystals formed by
metal alloys, chemicals, and other synthetic materials

 CRYSTAL HABIT:
In nature perfect crystals are rare. The faces that develop on a crystal depend on the space available for
the crystals to grow. If crystals grow into one another or in a restricted environment, it is possible that
no well-formed crystal faces will be developed. However, crystals sometimes develop certain forms
more commonly than others, although the symmetry may not be readily apparent from these common
forms. The term used to describe general shape of a crystal is habit. Some common crystal habits are as
follows:

1) INDIVIDUAL CRYSTALS:

 CUBIC:

Cube shapes.
  OCTAHEDRAL:
Shaped like octahedrons.

 TABULAR:

Book-like (tablets) that are thicker than platy but not as elongated as bladed.Wulfenite forms
crystals that are a good example of tabular crystals.

 EQUANT:
Any three perpendicular axis through the crystal are more or less equal. Can be used to describe
rounded as well as angular crystals. Fluorite forms crystals that are a good example of equant crystals.
  ACICULAR:
Long and needle-like, thinner than prismatic but thicker than fibrous. Natrolite crystals can be good
examples of acicular crystals.

 PRISMATIC:
One of the most common of crystal habits. Prismatic crystals are "pencil-like", elongated crystals that are
thicker than needles. Indicolite (a variety of elbaite) forms good examples of prismatic crystals.

 BLADED:
Elongated and flattened like a blade of grass. More elongated than platy and thinner
than tabular. Kyanite forms crystals that are a good example of bladed crystals.
 2) DISTINT CRYSTALS:

 DENDRITIC:
A branching growth of crystals usually on a surface or as an inclusion that forms plant-like patterns
similar to "Jack Frost" on windows and similar to arborescent,but less tree-like. Sal ammoniac forms
aggregates that are a good example of this form.

 RETICULATED:
A mineral specimen of reticulated habit seems to display a lattice, net, or network of small crystals. The
word 'reticulated' is derived from the Latin term rete, or 'net.'

 RADIATED:
Distinct crystals arranged in an orientation outward from a common point.Atacamite forms aggregates
that are a good example of this form.

 FIBROUS:
Thinner than acicular crystals in either individual crystals or in a tight compact almost cloth-like
mass. Okenite forms crystals that are a good example of the fibrous habit

 BOTRYOIDAL:
Resembling grape bunches with interlocking rounded masses. Formed from acicular or bladed crystals
growing from a common site for each rounded mass. The tops of the crystals are smooth and blend so
that individual crystal edges are indiscernible except from broken edges. Botryoidal is similar
to globular and mammillary; but more of an aggregation of rounded masses. Sub-botryoidal has more
discernible crystals. Hematite and smithsonite both form aggregates that are good examples of this
form.

 GLOBULAR:
Bubbly, rounded masses, similar to botryoidal or mammillary but less coherent.Gyrolite forms
aggregates that are a good example of this form.
  DRUSY:
Outwardly oriented crystals usually lining the inside of a geode, but is also applied to other outwardly
oriented crystal coatings. Amethyst, a variety of quartz, forms aggregates that are a good example of
this form.

 STELLATED:
radiating individuals that form a star-like shape.

5) COLOUR:
Color is sometimes an extremely diagnostic property of a mineral, for example olivine and epidote are
almost always green in color. But, for some minerals it is not at all diagnostic because minerals can take
on a variety of colors. These minerals are said to be allochromatic. For example quartz can be clear,
white, black, pink, blue, or purple. IT is the first thing someone notices when they view mineral.Color is
also one of the big reasons that attract people to minerals. Generally speaking, color is not a good
property to be used in the identification of minerals. It is usually the first property to confuse a novice
collector into making an incorrect identification. Many minerals have different colors and some
minerals' colors are identical to other minerals' colors. It is important to understand what causes color in
minerals in order to understand this mineral property. Below is a list of some coloring elements and the
color they produce in at least one mineral:

 Cobalt, Co, produces the violet-red color in erythrite, (cobalt arsenic sulfide).
 Chromium, Cr, produces the color orange-red color of crocoite, (lead chromate).
 Copper, Cu, produces the azure blue color of azurite, (copper carbonate hydroxide).
 Iron, Fe, produces the red color of limonite, (hydrated iron oxide hydroxide).
 Manganese, Mn, produces the pink color of rhodochrosite, (manganese carbonate).
 Nickel, Ni, produces the green color of annabergite, (hydrated nickel arsenate).
 Uranium, U, produces the yellow color of zippeite, (hydrated potassium uranyl sulfate
hydroxide).
 Vanadium, V, produces the red-orange color of vanadinite, (lead vanadate chloride).

6) HARDNESS:
Hardness is the resistance of a mineral to scratching or abrasion by other materials. Hardness is
determined by scratching the surface of the sample with another mineral or material of known
hardness. The standard hardness scale, called Mohs Hardness Scale , consists of ten minerals ranked in
ascending order of hardness with diamond, the hardest known substance, assigned the number 10. The
hardness kits we use in class contain only minerals 2-7, as these are the most useful for testing most of
the minerals we will encounter in this class. Since most of us don’t wander the outdoors with a pocketful
of standard minerals table one also lists the relative hardness of other common items.

THE MOHs SCALE:

The property of hardness has historically been measured according to the Mohs scale, which was
created in 1824 by the Austrian mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. Mohs based his system for measuring and
describing the hardness of a sample upon the definition of hardness as resistance to scratching. Mohs'
method thus relies upon a scratch test in order to relate the hardness of a mineral specimen to a
number from the Mohs scale. In order to define his scale, Mohs assembled a set of common reference
minerals of varying hardnesses and labled these in order of increasing hardness from 1 to 10. The
reference minerals of the Mohs scale are as follows:

7) LUSTER:
Minerals may be categorized according to whether they are opaque or transparent. Opaque minerals
typically reflect between 20% to 50% or more of the light incident upon them. In contrast, most of the
light which is incident upon a transparent mineral passes into and through the mineral; transparent
minerals may reflect as little as 5% of the incident light and as much as 20%. Typically those minerals
which possess metallic bonding are opaque whereas those where ionic bonding is prevalent are
transparent.
Relative differences in opacity and transparency are described as luster. The term luster refers to the
quantity and quality of the light which is reflected from a mineral's exterior surfaces. Luster provides an
assessment of how much the mineral surface 'sparkles'. This quality is determined by the type of atomic
bonds present within the substance. It is related to the indices of absorption and refraction of the
material and the amount of dispersion from the crystal lattice, as well as the texture of the exposed
mineral surface. Minerals are primarily divided into the two categories
of metallic and nonmetallic luster. Minerals possessing metallic luster are opaque and very reflective,
possessing a high absorptive index. This type of luster indicates the presence of metallic bonding within
the crystal lattice of the material. Examples of minerals which exhibit metallic luster are native copper,
gold, and silver, galena, pyrite, and chalcopyrite. The luster of a mineral which does not quite possess a
metallic luster is termed submetallic; hematite provides an example of submetallic luster.

 METALLIC:
looks shiny like a metal. Usually opaque and gives black or dark colored streak.

 NON-METALLIC:
Adjectives such as "vitreous', 'dull', 'pearly', 'greasy', 'silky' or 'adamantine' are frequently used to
describe various types of nonmetallic luster.

1) VITREOUS:
Vitreous luster occurs in minerals with predominant ionic bonding and resembles the reflective quality
of broken glass. The refractive index of such minerals is 1.5 to 2.0. Many silicates possess this type of
luster; quartz and tourmeline both demonstrate vitreous luster.
 2) RESINOUS:
A surface of resinous luster possesses a sheen resembling that of resin. Such materials have a refractive
index greater than 2.0. Sphalerite (ZnS) demonstrates a resinous luster.

3) PEARLY:
Pearly luster appears iridescent, opalescent, or pearly. This is typically exhibited by mineral surfaces
which are parallel to planes of perfect cleavage. Layer silicates such as talc often demonstrate a
pearly luster on cleavage surfaces.

4) GREASY:
A surface which possesses greasy luster appears to be covered with a thin layer of oil. A light-
scattering surface which is slightly rough, such as that of nepheline, may exhibit greasy luster.
 5) SILKY:
Silky luster occurs when light is reflected off of an aggregate of fine parallel fibers; malachite and
serpentine may both exhibit silky luster.

6) ADAMANTINE OR BRILLIANT:
A brilliant luster such as the sparkling reflection of diamond is known as adamantine. Minerals of
adamantine luster have high refractive indices (1.9-2.6) and are highly dispersive and translucent.
Covalent bonding or the presence of heavy metal atoms or transition elements may result in
adamantine luster.