Minerals

By: Group 5

What are minerals?

Minerals are solid substances that are present in nature and can be made of one element or more elements
combined together (chemical compounds).

Gold, Silver and carbon are elements that form minerals on their own. They are called native elements. It
is called rock salt, which is a mineral formed of sodium and chlorine ions.

The order of atoms in the space and the way they combine with each other determine the way a mineral
can laminate or exfoliate. Lamination is the property that some materials have to break according to their
geometrical shape.

◍ Its chemical composition also determines the colour of the crystal.

◍ Another characteristic of minerals is their hardness, which is their resistance to scratches.

Hardness is classified by numbers (from 1 to 10), according to the Moh’s scale.

Classification of Minerals:

• Silicates

-The base unit of a silicate mineral is the [SiO4]4− tetrahedron. In the vast majority of cases, silicon is in
four-fold or tetrahedral coordination with oxygen. Silicate minerals all contain silicon and oxygen -- the
two most abundant elements in the Earth's crust.

• Non-Silicates

-Non-silicates are minerals that do not include the silicon-oxygen units characteristic of silicates. They
may contain oxygen, but not in combination with silicon. Their structure tends to be more variable and
less complex than that of the silicates, although they too can be subdivided into different classes based on
their composition.

Silicate example: Quartz

Non-silicate example: Pyrite

Pyrite is a brass-yellow mineral with a bright metallic luster. It has a chemical composition of iron
sulfide (FeS2) and is the most common sulfide mineral.

Physical Properties of Pyrite

Chemical Classification Sulfide

Color Brass yellow - often tarnished to dull brass

Streak Greenish black to brownish black

Cleavage Breaks with a conchoidal fracture

Mohs Hardness 6 to 6.5

Specific Gravity 4.9 to 5.2

Color, hardness, brittle, greenish black streak,

Diagnostic Properties
specific gravity

Chemical Composition Iron sulfide, FeS2

Crystal System Isometric

Uses Ore of gold

The Physical properties of minerals are used by Mineralogists to help determine the identity of
a specimen.

Properties of Minerals

◍ Color

◍ Streak

◍ Hardness

◍ Cleavage or Fracture

◍ Crystalline Structure

◍ Diaphaneity or Amount of Transparency

◍ Tenacity

◍ Magnetism

◍ Luster

◍ Odor

◍ Taste

◍ Specific Gravity

A Detailed Description

◍ Color
In opaque minerals, the color tends to be more consistent, so learning the colors
 associated with these minerals can be very helpful in identification. Translucent to
transparent minerals have a much more varied degree of color due to the presence of
trace minerals. Therefore, color alone is not reliable as a single identifying characteristic.

◍ Streak

Streak is the color of the mineral in powdered form. Streak shows the true color of the
mineral. Metallic minerals tends to appear dark because the small particles of the streak absorb
the light hitting them. Non-metallic particles tend to reflect most of the light so they appear
lighter in color or almost white.

◍ Cleavage & Fracture

Cleavage is defined using two sets of criteria

 The first set of criteria describes how easily the cleavage is obtained. Cleavage is
considered perfect if it is easily obtained and the cleavage planes are easily distinguished.
It is considered good if the cleavage is produced with some difficulty but has obvious
cleavage planes. Finally it is considered imperfect if cleavage is obtained with difficulty
and some of the planes are difficult to distinguish.
 The second set of criteria is the direction of the cleavage surfaces.

◍ Transparency or Diaphaneity

Diaphaneity is a mineral’s degree of transparency or ability to allow light to pass through it.
The degree of transparency may also depend on the thickness of the mineral.

◍ Tenacity
is the characteristic that describes how the particles of a mineral hold together or resist
separation or it’s toughness.

◍ Magnetism
is the characteristic that allows a mineral to attract or repel other magnetic materials. It
can be difficult to determine the differences between the various types of magnetism, but
it is worth knowing that there are distinctions made.

◍ Luster

is the property of minerals that indicates how much the surface of a mineral reflects light.
The luster of a mineral is affected by the brilliance of the light used to observe the mineral
surface. Luster of a mineral is described in the following terms:

• Metallic

The mineral is opaque and reflects light as a metal would.

• Submettalic

The mineral is opaque and dull.

• Nonmettalic

The mineral does not reflect light like a metal.

• Waxy

The mineral looks like paraffin or wax.

• Vitreous

The mineral looks like broken glass.

• Pearly
The mineral appears iridescent, like a pearl.

• Silky

The mineral looks fibrous, like silk.

• Greasy

The mineral looks like oil on water.

• Resinous

The mineral looks like hardened tree sap (resin).

• Adamantine

The mineral looks brilliant, like a diamond.

◍ Odor

Most minerals have no odor unless they are acted upon in one of the following ways:
moistened, heated, breathed upon, or rubbed.

◍ Taste

Only soluble minerals have a taste, but it is very important that minerals not be placed in the
mouth or on the tongue. You should not test for this property in the classroom.

◍ Specific Gravity

is a comparison or ratio of the weight of the mineral to the weight of an equal amount of
water. The weight of the equal amount of water is found by finding the difference between
the weight of the mineral in air and the weight of the mineral in water.