What is Mineral?

Rocks are composed of

minerals. A mineral is a
naturally occurring
substance which is
usually solid, crystalline,
stable at room
temperature and
inorganic.
Minerals themselves are
made up of one or a
number of chemical
elements with a definite
chemical composition.
Minerals cannot be
broken down into
smaller units with
different chemical
compositions in the way
that rocks can.
What are the physical
properties of minerals?
There are several
different mineral
properties which must
be identified and
defined.
1. Luster - refers to how
light is reflected from
the surface of a mineral.
a. Metallic - generally
opaque and exit a
resplendent shine
similar to a polished
metal.
Minerals exhibiting
metallic luster look like
metal, such as a silvery
appearance or that of a
flat piece of steel
b. Non-metallic –
vitreous (glassy),
adamantine
(brilliant/diamond-like),
resinous, silky, pearly,
dull (earthy), greasy,
among others.
2. Hardness – It is the
ability of mineral to
resist scratching.
Friedrich Mohs, a
German mineralogist,
developed a hardness
scale over 100 years
ago. The hardest
mineral known,
diamond, was assigned
the number 10. It is
called the Mohs
Hardness Scale. It ranks
the order of hardness of
minerals and some
common objects.
3. Crystal Form/Habit –
refers to the
characteristic shape of a
mineral unit (either an
individual crystal or a
group of crystal).
The form reflects the
supposedly internal
structure (of atoms and
ions) of the crystal
(mineral). It is the
natural shape of the
mineral before the
development of any
cleavage or fracture. A
mineral that do not have
a crystal structure is
described as
amorphous.
4. Color - one of the
most obvious
characteristic of a
mineral, but generally
not the most useful
diagnostic feature.
Minerals are colored
because certain wave
lengths of light are
absorbed, and the color
results from a
combination of those
wave lengths that reach
the eye.
5. Streak - is the
mineral’s color in
powdered form. It can
be useful for identifying
metallic and earthy
minerals. Non-metallic
minerals usually give a
white streak because
they are very light-
colored. Other minerals
may have very
distinctive streaks.
Hematite, for example,
always gives a reddish-
brown streak no matter
what type of luster it
displays.
6. Cleavage - It is the
ability of a mineral to
break along preferred
planes. The number of
cleavage planes in a
mineral may also aid its
identification. Cleavage
typically occurs in either
one, two, three, four or
six directions.
7. Specific Gravity - is
the "heaviness" of a
mineral. It is defined as
a number that expresses
the ratio between the
weight of a mineral and
the weight of an equal
volume of water. Water
has a specific gravity of
“1.”
8. Others – magnetism,
odor, taste, tenacity,
reaction to acid, etc.
For example, magnetite
is strongly magnetic;
sulfur has distinctive
smell; halite is salty;
calcite fizzes with acid as
with dolomite but in
powdered form; etc.
What are the chemical
properties of minerals?
Every substance on
earth is made of atoms,
the building blocks of
all matter.
There are all different
types of atoms, and
each type of atom is
classified as an element.
Atoms will bond
together to form
molecules, which are
organized
agglomerations
of different types of
atoms.
Molecules form
mixtures and
compounds.
Mixtures are groups of
molecules that can be
separated by physical
means.
Compounds are groups
of molecules with a
definitive arrangement,
and can only be
separated by chemical
means.

***Every mineral
contains a defined ratio
of specific molecules in
its structure.
What are the common
rock-forming minerals
using their physical and
chemical properties?
Some of the common
rock forming minerals
along with their physical
and chemical properties:
1. Quartz
 It is pure or nearly
pure silica and is hard
and glassy mineral.
 It is transparent to
translucent in nature
and its color varies
from white and grey to
smokey.
 It does not have a
cleavage and thus does
not break into regular
flat faces.
 Hardness = 7, Specific
gravity = 2.66
2. Feldspar
 It is silicates of
alumina, with alkaline
substances like
potassium, sodium and
calcium.
 Its appearance is not
as glassy as that of
Quartz and is dull to
opaque with a
porcelain-like
appearance.
 A stone readily meets
the decay if it contains
large proportions of
feldspar mixed with
other minerals.
  Hardness = 6, Specific
gravity = 2.5 to 2.7
3. Mica
 It contains silicates of
aluminum with
potassium.
 It is soft and readily
affected by
atmosphere and
chemicals.
 It has perfect
cleavage, causing it to
 easily break into thin
sheets.
 Hardness = 2.5 and
Specific gravity = 3.
4. Hornblende
 Complex silicate with
hardness = 5.5 and
specific gravity = 3.2.
 Dark colored mineral
found in many types of
 igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
5. Calcite
 Leading constituent of
limestone and marble.
  Hardness = 3 and
specific gravity = 2.7.
6. Dolomite
 It is Magnesium
carbonate with
chemical composition
 as CaMg(CO3)2.
 Metamorphic rocks
like dolomitic marble
and few sedimentary
rocks have dolomite as
the major constituent.
 It has three directions
of perfect cleavage.
 Moh’s hardness is 3.5
to 4, specific gravity is
2.8 to 2.9.