Geog 1120: Intro to Earth Sciences J.

Koch Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Summer 2019
Submitted by: Navdeep Singh Sandhu (100363419)
Amandeep Kaur (100364425)

Lab 1 Minerals

Objective: To become familiar with the common physical properties of minerals and to
be able to use these properties in mineral identification.

1.What is a mineral? (2)

Mineral is a natural occurring, inorganic solid substance with its definite chemical
composition.

2. List 6 important physical properties of minerals. (3)

Color, hardness, lusture, cleavage, tenacity, taste

3. What is cleavage and what causes it to develop in minerals? (2)

Cleavage is tendency of minerals to break along flat patterns surfaces as determined by its
structure of crystal lattice. These are developed in minerals because of bonds which helps to keep
the atoms together but are not of equal strength in any direction.

4. Why does mica have excellent cleavage whereas quartz and olivine do not? (3)

Mica has excellent cleavage because it will result in smooth flat, parallel surfaces. Quartz and
olivine has fracture but not cleavage. They don’t have cleavage because they have no parallel
surfaces.

5. List the silicate minerals. Describe and illustrate the silica tetrahedron that makes up
the various silicate minerals. (6)

95% of the minerals found in earth’s crust are silicates. Some of the silicates are olivine, quartz,
mica, amphiboles, pyroxenes, garnet, clay minerals and tale.
 Building blocks of all silica minerals are silica tetrahedron which are a combination of four
oxygen atoms and one silicon atom. These atoms are arranged in a way so that planes drawn
through oxygen atoms to form a tetrahedron.

6. Use the accompanying chart to enter the properties of the numbered mineral
specimens and determine their names. (18)

Specimen Fracture/ Hardness Luster Streak Other Economic Name

number Cleavage color Properties use or
rock
forming
2 No 1-2 Metallic grey Dark grey Use to Graphite
cleavage lusture black, make lead
greasy feel, and dry
leaves a lubricant in
mark on machine
paper parts
7 Basal 2-3 Non- White(tr Colorless, Manufactur Muscovite
metallic ansparen vitreous to e of paint
cy pearly, plastic
colorless transparent rubber
) variety is
selenite
8 Basal 2-2.5 Dull, White Manufactur Gypsum
non- e of
metallic wallboard,
cement and
plaster of
Paris