Minerals: Properties and Types

(Pre-reading)
Minerals can mean differently on different people. For a gym rats or health
junkies, minerals mean supplements that they take to boost their body systems. Minerals
to a child could mean a rock or something he would get from a powdered juice or milk
that he/she drinks.
However, to a geologist (mineralogist) which devotes his/her time studying earth's
materials, mineral means a naturally-occurring inorganic element or compound having an
orderly internal structure and a characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and
physical properties. They serve as fragments and turn into rocks if mixed with each
other. Rocks and its constituent minerals comprise the Earth's crust. Below are sample
images of minerals. If you have observed in the virtual museum in the activity, minerals
could come in different shapes, textures and sizes. These are "properties" that identifies
a particular mineral and are several different mineral properties which must be identified
and defined.

Mineral Properties

1. Luster – it is the quality and intensity of reflected light exhibited by the

mineral

A. Metallic – generally opaque and exhibit a resplendent shine similar to a polished

metal
B. Non-metallic – vitreous (glassy), adamantine (brilliant/diamond-like), resinous,
silky, pearly, dull (earthy), greasy, among others.
 2. Hardness – it is a measure of the resistance of a mineral (not specifically surface) to
abrasion.
a. This hardness scale was designed by German geologist/mineralogist Friedrich
Mohs in 1812 (Mohs Scale of Hardness).
b. The Mohs Scale of Hardness measures the scratch resistance of various
minerals from a scale of 1 to 10, based on the ability of a harder material/mineral to
scratch a softer one.
c. Pros of the Mohs scale: (advantage)
i. The test is easy.
ii. The test can be done anywhere, anytime, as long as there is sufficient
light to see scratches.
iii. The test is convenient for field geologists with scratch kits who want
to make a rough identification of minerals outside the lab.
d. Cons of the Mohs scale: (disadvantage)
i. The Scale is qualitative, not quantitative.
ii. The test cannot be used to accurately test the hardness of industrial
materials.

3. Crystal Form/Habit
The external shape of a crystal or groups of crystals is displayed / observed as these
crystals grow in open spaces. 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. Examples include prismatic, tabular, bladed,
platy, reniform and equant. A mineral that do not have a crystal structure is described
as amorphous.

4. Color and streak

a. A lot of minerals can exhibit same or similar colors. Individual minerals can also
display a
variety of colors resulting from impurities and also from some geologic processes like
weathering.
b. Examples of coloring: quartz can be pink (rose quartz), purple (amethyst),
orange (citrine), white (colorless quartz) etc.
 c. Streak, on the other hand, is the mineral’s color in powdered form. It is
inherent in almost every mineral, and is a more diagnostic property compared to color.
Note that the color of a mineral can be different from its streak.
d. Examples of streak: pyrite (FeS2) exhibits gold color but has a black or dark
gray streak.
e. The crystal’s form also defines the relative growth of the crystal in three
dimensions, which include the crystal’s length, width and height.

5. Cleavage – the property of some minerals to break along specific planes of

weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces
a. These planes exist because the bonding of atoms making up the mineral happens
to be weak in those areas.
b. When minerals break evenly in more than one direction, cleavage is described
by the number of cleavage directions, the angle(s) at which they meet, and the quality of
cleavage (e.g. cleavage in 2 directions at 90°).
c. Cleavage is different from habit; the two are distinct, unrelated properties.
Although both are dictated by crystal structure, crystal habit forms as the mineral is
growing, relying on how the individual atoms in the crystal come together. Cleavage,
meanwhile, is the weak plane that developed after the crystal is formed. In the link
below are some examples.

6. Specific Gravity– the ratio of the density of the mineral and the density of water
a. This parameter indicates how many times more the mineral weighs compared
to an equal amount of water (SG 1).
b. For example, a bucket of silver (SG 10) would weigh ten times more than a
bucket of water.

7. 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.
MINERAL GROUPS
Minerals, like many other things, can also be categorized. One is by looking at its
physical properties as listed above (i.e. color, crystal habit, luster). Although physical
properties are useful for mineral identification, some minerals may exhibit a wide range
of properties. Some minerals may look alike in some aspects but not in the chemical
composition.
The most stable and least ambiguous basis for classification of minerals is based on
their chemical compositions. This gives us the exact identification of a mineral since its
elemental components and its ratios are listed. What are some examples?

The elements listed below comprise almost 99% of the minerals making up the Earth’s crust.

1. Silicates – minerals containing the two most abundant elements in the Earth’s
crust, namely, silicon and oxygen.

a. When linked together, these two elements form the silicon oxygen
tetrahedron - the fundamental building block of silicate minerals.
b. Over 90% of rock-forming minerals belong to this
group. https://images.app.goo.gl/9ZTRLvdJxeijXTNH9 (Links to an external
site.). https://images.app.goo.gl/v8sJGowpfhabNefw9 (Links to an external
site.)
 2. Oxides – minerals composed of oxygen anion (O2-) combined with one or
more metal ions https://images.app.goo.gl/r8tSiGDrL7hNFuMc7 (Links to an
external site.)
3. Sulfates – minerals containing sulfur and oxygen in the form of the
(SO4)- anion https://images.app.goo.gl/bqbWmAJW3CbT79oj8 (Links to an
external site.)
4. Sulfides – minerals containing sulfur and a metal; some sulfides are sources of
economically important metals such as copper, lead, and
zinc. https://images.app.goo.gl/6FaKhyW5i9XgR9Sr8 (Links to an external
site.)
5. Carbonates – minerals containing the carbonate (CO3)2- anion combined with
other elements https://images.app.goo.gl/bVSWH2h2KBuM5yDj6 (Links to
an external site.)
6. Native Elements – minerals that form as individual
elements https://images.app.goo.gl/MjEjWQ1w821w8cyP9 (Links to an
external site.)
a. Metals and Intermetals – minerals with high thermal and electrical conductivity,
typically with metallic luster, low hardness (gold, lead)
b. Semi-metals – minerals that are more fragile than metals and have lower
conductivity (arsenic, bismuth)
c. Nonmetals – nonconductive (sulfur, diamond)
7. Halides – minerals containing halogen elements combined with one or more
metals https://images.app.goo.gl/dBhSXmy9cCHh8HcXA
Minerals: Formation, Mining and its
Uses
How Do Minerals Form?
Different minerals form in different environments. The table below shows five ways that
minerals can form. But first, try to watch how crystals form which is one of the
preliminary stages in the formation of a mineral.

Minerals that
Process Description
form this way

When a body of salt water dries up, minerals are

Evaporation left behind. As the water evaporates, the minerals gypsum, halite
crystallize.

High temperatures and pressures deep below

garnet, graphite,
Metamorphism the ground can cause the minerals in rock to change
magnetite, talc
into different minerals.

Surface water and ground water carry dissolved

Deposition minerals into lakes or seas. The minerals can calcite, dolomite
crystallize on the bottom of the lake or sea.

Water underground can be heated by hot rock. The gold, copper,

Reaction hot water can dissolve some minerals and deposit sulfur, pyrite,
other minerals in their place. galena

Melted rock can cool slowly under Earth’s surface. As mica, feldspar,
Cooling
the melted rock cools, minerals form. quartz
How Are Minerals Removed from the Earth?
Many kinds of minerals are being mined from the ground and people make them into
objects we need and use. Some minerals have more useful materials in them than others.
An ore is a rock or mineral that contains enough useful materials for it to be mined at a
profit.
There are two ways of removing ores from Earth: surface mining and subsurface
mining. The type of mining used depends on how close the ore is to the surface.
SURFACE MINING
People use surface mining to remove ores that are near Earth’s surface. Three types of
surface mines include open pits, surface coal mines, and quarries.
Open-pit mining is used to remove large, near-surface deposits of gold and
copper. Explosives break up the rock layers above the ore. Then, trucks haul the ore
from the mine to a processing plant.

Quarries are open mines that are

used to remove sand, gravel, and
crushed rock. The layers of rock
near the surface are removed
and used to make buildings and
roads.

Strip mines are often used to

mine coal. The coal is removed in
large pieces. These pieces are
called strips. The strips of coal
may be up to 50 m wide and 1
km long.
 SUBSURFACE MINING
People use subsurface mining to remove ores
that are deep underground. Iron, coal, and salt
can be mined in subsurface mines.
Rock and Rock Cycle
For environmentalists, recycling of used objects or waste is one the things they value.
This involves repurposing some waste, reducing possible pollutants in the
environment. Like what these people do, Earth has also ways to recycle minerals into
different rock types and formations. Going back to the definition of rocks, it is any
naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals. It is categorized by the minerals
included, its chemical composition and the way in which it is formed.
Rocks are categorized into three types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Any
rock type can turn into another type if given the right conditions. (temperature, pressure
levels)
Below is the diagram for the rock cycle. You have probably discussed this topic when
you were still in Junior High school and everything here will be just a bit of review. Take
a look at the types of rocks and what conditions or processes will make them turn into
another type of rock.
Remember that the rock cycle is made of all of the processes that make new rock out of
older rock material. Weathering, erosion, deposition, heat, and pressure are some of the
processes that are part of the rock cycle.
As you can see, rocks do not have to follow a single path through the rock cycle. An
igneous rock may
be weathered to form sediment, which then forms sedimentary rock. The igneous rock
could also melt and cool to form a new igneous rock.
The path that a rock takes through the rock cycle depends on the forces that act on the
rock. These forces change depending on where the rock is located. For example, high
pressures and temperatures below the Earth’s surface can cause metamorphic rock to
form.
 3 Types Of Rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary &
Metamorphic

Sedimentary Rock Type

Sedimentary rocks are made up of pieces of older rocks (igneous, metamorphic, and
sedimentary) and organic remains (shells, bone, etc.). When rocks break apart from
erosion they are transported by rivers and streams to lakes and oceans. As the sediment
piles up it is compressed and heated in the Earth. Eventually, the high pressures and
temperatures lithify the loose sediment into a sedimentary rock.
Examples of sedimentary rocks

• Sandstone
• Limestone
• Shale
• Conglomerate

Igneous Rock Type

Igneous rocks are formed when magma cools and turns into a rock. This cooling can
either be intrusive, where the magma pool gradually cools and the magma solidifies into
an igneous rock. Alternatively, the cooling can extrusive, where the magma is cooled
very quickly such as during a volcanic eruption.
Igneous rocks are the "new kids" in the rock cycle. They're the new rock on the block,
ready to start fresh.
Examples of igneous rocks

• Granite
• Basalt
• Pumice
• Gabbro

Metamorphic Rock Type

Metamorphic rocks form from a previously existing rock, be it igneous, sedimentary or
even an older metamorphic rock. Rocks turn metamorphic when they are subjected to
very high heat and pressure. This alters the chemical and structural makeup of the
minerals within the rock, changing it into a new metamorphic rock. If the rock is heated
enough, it fully melts and if cooled would be an igneous rock.
Metamorphic rocks are the "change makers" of the rock cycle. They take what was once
a rock and change it into a new rock!

Examples of metamorphic rocks

• Marble
• Gneiss
• Schist
• Slate