Rock Forming Minerals

 A mineral, by definition, is any naturally occurring,

inorganic substance, often additionally characterized
by an exact crystal structure.

 Its chemical structure can be exact, or can vary

within limits.

 Elements that occur naturally are also considered

minerals.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

Minerals:

Quartz, Ice, Snow, Biotite, Diamond, Serpentine.

Not Minerals:

Opal, CO2, Granite, Volcanic Gas, Oil, Amber.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

 Some natural substances that do not fulfill all the

conditions given in the definition of a mineral are
termed as mineraloids.

 The commonest example of mineraloids is opal - a

common constituent of rocks but one that is
amorphous, that is, noncrystalline and without
orderly internal structure.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

 A mineral is a solid formation that occurs naturally in

the earth.

 On the other hand, a rock is a solid combination of

more than one mineral formations which is also
occurring naturally.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

MINERALS ROCKS
pure
1 more than one mineral
(made of same substance)
2 some have crystals not single crystals
3 usually pretty not usually as pretty
4 usually have a shape no definite shape
5 color is usually the same color is not the same
6 no fossils some have fossils

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 Rock Forming Minerals

Conditions to be met to be considered as minerals

Characteristics
 It occurs naturally as an inorganic solid.

Structure
 It has a specific internal structure, that is, its
constituents are precisely arranged into a crystalline
solid.

Composition
 It has a chemical composition that varies within
definite limits and can be expressed by chemical
formula.
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 Rock Forming Minerals

Conditions to be met to be considered as minerals

Physical properties
 It has definite physical properties (hardness,
cleavage, crystal form etc.) that result from its
crystalline structure and composition.

Stability
 It is stable over a relatively restricted range of
temperature and pressure.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

Conditions to be met to be considered as minerals

Growth
 It is susceptible to chemical change; grows as
matter changes from a gaseous or liquid state to a
solid state or when one solid recrystallizes to form
another.

Destruction
 It breaks down as the solid changes back to a liquid
or gas.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

 Minerals have distinguishing physical properties that

in most cases can be used to determine the identity
of the mineral.

 The physical properties are-

1) Crystal form and habit

2) Luster and Transparency
3) Color and Streak
4) Cleavage
5) Fracture and Parting
6) Tenacity
7) Density
8) Hardness
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 Rock Forming Minerals

1) Crystal form and habit

 Minerals may exhibit a range of crystal face

development.

Euhedral – Well-developed crystal faces.

Anhedral – No visible crystal faces. Usually from
growth in a confined space.
Subhedral – Between the two.

 Euhedral crystals - Growth in an open cavity.

 Anhedral crystals - Growth in tight spaces.
 Anhedral crystals common; euhedral rare.
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 Rock Forming Minerals

2) Luster and Transparency

 The transparency may be opaque, translucent, or

transparent.

 Luster refers to the general appearance of a mineral

surface to reflected light.

 Two general types of luster are designated as

follows:

1) Metallic
2) Non-metallic

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 Rock Forming Minerals

2) Luster and Transparency

1. Metallic

 looks shiny like a metal.

 Usually opaque and gives

black or dark colored
streak.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

2) Luster and Transparency

2. Non-metallic
Appearance Example
Vitreous looks glassy clear quartz, tourmaline
Resinous looks resinous sphalerite, sulfur
Pearly iridescent pearl-like apophyllite
appears to be covered with a
Greasy nepheline
thin layer of oil
some gypsum,
Silky looks fibrous
serpentine, malachite
Adamantine brilliant luster like diamond

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 Rock Forming Minerals

2) Luster and Transparency

2. Non-metallic

Vitreous Adamantine
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 Rock Forming Minerals

2) Luster and Transparency

2. Non-metallic

Pearly Resinous

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 Rock Forming Minerals

2) Luster and Transparency

2. Non-metallic

Waxy Greasy/oily

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 Rock Forming Minerals

2) Luster and Transparency

2. Non-metallic

Silky Dull/Earthy

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 Rock Forming Minerals

3) Color and Streak

 Color is fairly self-explanatory property describing
the reflectance.

 Metallic minerals are white, grey or yellow in color.

 The presence of transition metals with unfilled

electron shells (e.g. V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) in
oxide and silicate minerals causes them to be
opaque or strongly colored so that the streak, the
mark that they leave when scratched on a white
ceramic tile, will also be strongly colored.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

3) Color and Streak

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 Rock Forming Minerals

3) Color and Streak

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

Cleavage

 Crystals often contain planes of atoms along which

the bonding between the atoms is weaker than
along other planes.

 In such a case, if the mineral is struck with a hard

object, it will tend to break along these planes.

 This property of breaking along specific planes is

termed cleavage.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

Cleavage

 Because cleavage occurs along planes in the crystal

lattice, it can be described in the same manner that
crystal forms are described.

 The cleavage can also be described in terms of its

quality, i.e., if it cleaves along perfect planes it is
said to be perfect, and if it cleaves along poorly
defined planes it is said to be poor.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

Fracture

 If the mineral contains no planes of weakness, it will

break along random directions called fracture.

 Several different kinds of fracture patterns are

observed.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

Fracture

Conchoidal fracture
 breaks along smooth curved surfaces.

Fibrous and splintery

 similar to the way wood breaks.

Hackly
 jagged fractures with sharp edges.

Uneven or Irregular
 rough irregular surfaces
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 Rock Forming Minerals

4) Cleavage, Fracture and Parting

Parting

 Parting is also a plane of weakness in the crystal

structure, but it is along planes that are weakened
by some applied force.

 It therefore may not be apparent in all specimens of

the same mineral, but may appear if the mineral has
been subjected to the right stress conditions.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

5) Tenacity
 Tenacity is the resistance of a mineral to breaking,
crushing, or bending.

 Tenacity can be described by the following terms-

Brittle breaks or powders easily.
Malleable can be hammered into thin sheets.
Sectile can be cut into thin shavings with a knife.
bends easily and does not return to its original
Ductile
shape.
bends somewhat and does not return to its
Flexible
original shape.
Elastic bends but does return to its original shape.
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 Rock Forming Minerals

6) Density (Specific Gravity)

 Density refers to the mass per unit volume.

 Specific Gravity is the relative density, (weight of

substance divided by the weight of an equal volume
of water).

 Specific gravity is often a very diagnostic property

for those minerals that have high specific gravities.

 SG is reflected in “heaviness” – how heavy the

mineral feels.
 Galena – Heavy
 Feldspar - Light
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 Rock Forming Minerals

7) Hardness
 Hardness is determined by scratching the mineral
with a mineral or substance of known hardness.

 Hardness is determined on the basis of Moh's

relative scale of hardness exhibited by some
common minerals.

 These minerals are listed below, along with the

hardness of some common objects.

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 Rock Forming Minerals

7) Hardness

Hardness Mineral Common Objects

1 Talc
2 Gypsum Fingernail (2+)
3 Calcite Copper Penny (3+)
4 Fluorite
Steel knife blade (5+),
5 Apatite
Window glass (5.5)
6 Orthoclase
7 Quartz
8 Topaz
9 Corundum
10 Diamond 33
 Rock Forming Minerals

 Taste  Pyroelectricity
 Smell  Refractive Index
 Effervescence  Elasticity
 Magnetism  Malleability
 Feel  Ductility
 Diaphaneity  Sectility
 Piezoelectricity

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 Rock Forming Minerals

 More than 4000 minerals have been identified.

 Only about 50 minerals are abundant.
 98% of all minerals are made of 8 elements.
Oxygen O 46.6 %
Silicon Si 27.7 %
Aluminum Al 8.1 %
Iron Fe 5.0 %
Calcium Ca 3.6 %
Sodium Na 2.8 %
Potassium K 2.6 %
Magnesium Mg 2.1 %
All others 1.7 %
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 Rock Forming Minerals

 Minerals are classified based upon the dominant

anion.
Rock forming
Silicates 𝐒𝐢𝐎𝟒−
𝟐 minerals
Carbonates 𝐂𝐎𝟐−
𝟑 Calcite, Dolomite
Sulfides 𝐒− Pyrite, Galena
Magnetite,
Oxides 𝐎𝟐−
Hematite
Sulfates 𝐒𝐎𝟒−
𝟐 Gypsum
halides 𝐂𝐥− 𝐨𝐫 𝐅 − Fluorite, Halite

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