Activity #4

1. Apart from their difference in color, what is one main distinction between light and dark
silicates? What accounts for this difference?

Is their relative specific gravities (densities); light silicates are less dense (lower specific gravity)
than the dark silicates.

2. Based on the chart in Figure 3.25, what do muscovite and biotite have in common? How
do they differ?
They are both in the Mica Group, have one plane cleavage, and are sheet structured.

3. Is color a good way to distinguish between orthoclase and plagioclase feldspar? If not,
what is a more effective means of distinguishing them?
No, looking for a slew of thin parallel lines is the only way to tell the feldspars apart physically.

4. List six common nonsilicate mineral groups. What key ions or elements define each
group?
Carbonates, Oxides, Halides, Sulfides, Sulfates, and Native Elements

5. What is the most common carbonate mineral?

Calcite

6. List eight common nonsilicate minerals and their economic uses.

Hematite (ores of iron), Magnetite (ores of iron), Galena (lead), Halite (salt), Calcite (cement),
Sphalerite (zinc ore), Native Copper (copper), Fluorite (steel).

7. List three examples of renewable resources and three examples of nonrenewable

resources.

Sun, Water, Wind. Natural gas, oil, coal.

8. Compare and contrast a mineral resource and an ore deposit.

A mineral resource is a deposit of valuable minerals that is generated in such large numbers that
exploitation is likely. A naturally occurring concentration of one or more metallic minerals that
can be profitably mined is known as an ore deposit.

9. Explain how a mineral deposit that previously could not be mined profitably might be
 upgraded to an ore deposit.

A previously unprofitable deposit can be upgraded from a mineral to an ore if demand for the
metal improves and its value rises sufficiently.

Part 2

1. Using the geologic definition of mineral as your guide, determine which of the items in this list are
minerals and which are not. If something in this list is not a mineral, explain.

a. Gold nugget- Yes

b. Seawater- No, it is liquid

c. Quartz- Yes

d. Cubic zirconia- No because

e. Obsidian- Yes, but most of its compose is made in lab.

f. Ruby- Yes

g. Glacial ice- Yes

h. Amber- No, Amber is not a mineral because it is made out of tree

2. Assume that the number of protons in a neutral atom is 92 and the atomic mass is 238.03. (Hint:
Refer to the periodic table in Figure 3.5 to answer this question.)

a. What is the name of the element?

Uranium

b. How many electrons does it have?

92

3. Gold has a specific gravity of almost 20. A 5-gallon bucket of water weighs 40

pounds. How much would a 5-gallon bucket of gold weigh?

800 pounds
4. Do an Internet search to determine which minerals are used to manufacture the following products:

a. Stainless steel utensils- The main ingredients in flatware are chromium and nickel which are added to
provide a resistance to corrosion.

b. Cat litter- made from bentonite clay. Bentonite is largely composed of montmorillonite, a clay mineral
made up of stacks of SiO4 sandwiched between two sheets of octahedrally coordinated aluminum,
magnesium, or iron.

c. Tums brand antacid tablets- calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide.

d. Lithium batteries- this includes lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, manganese, alumina.

e. Aluminum beverage cans- Soda cans are made from aluminum — and trace amounts of other metals,
including magnesium, iron, and manganese.