Minerals and Rocks

Notes and Activities

 Minerals
Assignment for Vocabulary
􀂾On a separate sheet of paper, list the words below 1 to 10 and define them using
your textbook, a dictionary, the Internet, or any other source you choose. Just get
it done!!!
􀂾Once you have defined the words read over each word so that you are able to
understand its meaning.
􀂾I will collect and grade your completed list or give a matching QUIZ prior to the
test on this information as a homework assignment.

Number each word 1 through 10:

Atoms Luster Mixture Mineral
Hardness Fracture Cleavage Streak
Crystal Shape Crystal Structure

What are Minerals (Five Part Definition of Mineral)

Minerals are 1. _______________, homogeneous solid substances that are 2.
_______________ . Minerals also have 3. _______________, 4. _______________, 5.
_______________. _______________ are the substances from which rocks are made. This
means that the substance was not formed by _______________ or from _______________
such as plants or animals. As a result, inorganic substances such as minerals do not contain
the complex carbon compounds made in living things.
Some minerals are elements whereas others are _______________ or _______________.
So in order to be considered a mineral the following 5 conditions MUST be met!
1. Naturally occurring
a.

b.

2. Inorganically formed
a.

b.

c.

3. Physical properties
a.

i. Ex: Black color with a red streak, Metallic, Yellow color

4. Chemical properties
a.

i. Which elements
ii. Number of atoms of each element
5. Crystalline structure
a.

b.

c. Arrangement of atoms
d. 6 crystal systems

Mineral Identification

Physical Properties – ALL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES ARE DETERMINED BY THE

ARRANGMENT OF ATOMS!

1. Color
Many minerals have a characteristic _______________. However, many colorless or white
minerals are often discolored by _______________. Dark colored minerals are easier to
identify by color because impurities are unlikely to cause color variations. There also exists
the potential for some minerals to be MANY different colors.

2. Hardness
Minerals also differ in _______________. You test for hardness by _______________ the
unknown mineral with the edge or point of other _______________ of known hardness.
Quartz is able to scratch most other minerals. Because _______________ is softer than
_______________ , calcite cannot scratch quartz, but quartz can calcite.
German scientist Friedrich Moh developed a hardness scale
Moh’s Hardness Scale
1. _______________
2. _______________
2.5. _______________
3. _______________
3.5. _______________
4. _______________
5. _______________
5.5. _______________
6. _______________
6.5. _______________
7. _______________
8. _______________
9. _______________
10. _______________

3. Luster
The way light is reflected from the surface of a mineral produces the mineral’s
_______________. Minerals with a _______________ luster have a hard, shiny look, like
polished metal. This is because _______________ is unable to penetrate the surface and
almost all the light is _______________. Minerals with a _______________ luster can also
be shiny, but nonmetallic luster differs from a metallic luster because some of the
_______________ is transmitted into or through the _______________, while some is
reflected. Other words to describe nonmetallic luster are _______________,
_______________, _______________, and , _______________ which is dull.

4. Streak
The _______________ is _______________ the form of the mineral. Most mineral have a
streak equal to their external color, but some metallic minerals such as _______________
leave behind a powder that is not the same color as the mineral sample. You test for streak by
_______________ a corner of the mineral across a _______________ plate.
1. Examples

5. Cleavage and Fracture

In a mineral breaks readily is specific directions along smooth, flat surfaces it shows
_______________. Cleavage comes from the Latin word meaning to cut or cleave. Minerals
that break along surfaces that do not follow the atomic arrangement show _______________.
Cleavage, like all mineral properties is determined by the internal _______________
Example: Halite has a perfect cleavage

6. Other/Unusual Properties
Some minerals have special properties that make identification nearly certain.
d. Taste _______________________
e. Smell _______________________

7. Specific Gravity/Density
Minerals also vary in _______________ and _______________. Specific gravity is a ratio of
the density of a substance to the density of _______________. Water’s density is 1.0 g/cm 3.
Therefore, a mineral with a density of 4.0 g/cm 3 has a specific gravity of _______________.

How minerals form

1. Cooling of hot melted rock material called magma.
a. Atoms lose energy
b. Atoms move closer together
c. Begin to combine into compounds, which means they begin to arrange in repeating
patterns
d. Many different minerals can form from a single magma body.

2. Crystals form from minerals dissolved in liquids

a. Generally an increase in temperature
b. Solution becomes saturated or filled with another substance
Mineral Composition and Groups
a. 98% of the Earth’s crust is made up of only 8 of those 90 elements.
b. Only a few dozen are common
1. Silicates –
Ex: Hornblende Talc Quartz
2. Sulfides –
Ex: Pyrite (Fools Gold) (Iron) Galena (Lead)
3. Halides –
Ex: Halite (NaCl) Fluorite (CaF2)
4. Oxides –
Ex: Magnetite (Fe3O4)
5. Carbonates –
Ex: Calcite (CaCO3) Cement, acid neutralization Dolomite - CaMg (CO 3)
6. Sulfates –
Ex: Gypsum (CaSO4 * 2H2O) Plaster, drywall

Rocks

Assignment for Vocabulary

On a separate sheet of paper, list the words below 1 to 15 and define them using your
textbook, a dictionary, the Internet, or any other source you choose. Just get it done!!!
Once you have defined the words read over each word so that you are able to understand
its meaning.
I will collect and grade your completed list or give a matching QUIZ prior to the test on
this information as a homework assignment.

Number each word 1 through 15:

Igneous Rocks Metamorphic Rocks Sedimentary Rocks
Burial Compaction Evaporation
Solidification Cementation Magma
Marine Origin Origin Rock
Texture Rock Cycle Chemical

Nearly all rocks are composed of _______________or more _______________. Geologists

classify rocks according to their _______________. _______________ rocks form when molten
material known as _______________ cools and solidifies. Therefore we describe Igneous Rock
formation as crystallization or solidification. _______________ rocks usually result from the
_______________ and _______________ of layers of sediment. _______________ rocks form
when _______________, _______________, or other _______________ rocks are changed by
_______________ and _______________ .

Igneous Rocks
Igneous rocks are always the result of the crystallization/solidification of magma or lava. The
_______________ in the igneous rock provide clues as to how the rock solidified.
_______________ cooling allows the molecule enough time to form _______________. We
refer to these type of Igneous rocks as _______________or _______________ because they
cool slowly deep within the Earth. Rocks that cool _______________ have _______________
crystals. These rocks cool at or near the surface. We call these rocks _______________ or
_______________.
Igneous rocks are most commonly classified using two characteristics _______________ and
_______________. Light colored rocks, such as granite and rhyolite are usually rich in
_______________ and _______________. They are referred to as _______________. Darker
rocks, such as basalt and gabbro, are called _______________ because they are rich in
_______________ and _______________. It is worth noting however that some rocks don’t fit
the above. _______________ which is dark in color is almost always felsic in composition. The
following two rocks are _______________, that is, they contain many holes created by
expanding gas as the magma rose to the Earth’s surface. _______________ looks like cinders,
full of large air pockets. _______________ contains smaller holes that make it look frothy.
Sometimes pumice contains so many holes that it _______________ in water.

Sedimentary Rocks
Most sedimentary rocks are composed primarily of the _______________ remains of other
rocks. Sedimentary rocks usually form by the _______________ and _______________ of
sediment particles. Even though sedimentary rocks are most common rocks that you see at the
surface, they generally exist as a relatively thin layer covering _______________ and
_______________ rocks below, which are the more _______________ rocks.
The most common group of sedimentary rocks is the _______________ (clastic) rocks, which are
made up of different _______________ particles (fragments). There are two other groups of
sedimentary rocks _______________ and _______________. Those sedimentary rocks that are
composed of once living things are called _______________ or _______________. Finally rocks
that are formed when chemicals _______________ (settle) out from solution in seawater are
called _______________ sedimentary rocks.

Metamorphic Rocks
_______________form when sedimentary and igneous are changed by _______________
and/or _______________. The process of metamorphism may cause structures such as layering
to become _______________. Metamorphism often results in the _______________ of crystals,
known as _______________. Metamorphism sometimes causes _______________ to separate
into light and dark layers known as _______________. Types of metamorphism include
_______________ and _______________. _______________ is the process by which rocks in a
large area are transformed by _______________ and _______________ deep within Earth.
When rocks are altered _______________ or _______________ Earth’s surface as the result of
_______________or _______________ it is called _______________ metamorphism.

The Rock Cycle

The _______________ is a model of natural changes in _______________ and
_______________. The rock cycle illustrates several important principles of geology. First, nearly
all _______________ are made from the _______________ of other rocks. Coal and other
organic sedimentary rocks are important _______________. Second, rocks are classified based
on their _______________. Finally, there are a variety of ways that rocks can change in response
to changing conditions at the surface or within Earth. There is more than _______________ path
through the rock cycle. Each rock can remain relatively stable for long periods of time.
Natural Resources
Natural resources are _______________ that came from Earth. There are three types
_______________, _______________, _______________ and energy sources.
_______________ can be replaced after they have been used. For example, _______________
are a renewable resource. After they have been cut they can be replanted and within a lifetime
mature again. _______________ is a renewable resource because rain refills the lakes and
rivers. _______________ are resources that once they are used up they are gone for millions of
years. The _______________ metals as well as _______________ are nonrenewable resources.
The _______________ are coal, oil, and natural gas. Energy sources are things such as
_______________, _______________, _______________, _______________, and
_______________. These are excellent alternative resources but they also come with a price.

Earth Science Regents

Igneous, Sedimentary, or Metamorphic?

I know a rock is igneous if:

1. I see randomly located interlocking crystals
2. I see vesicles where gases escaped as lava cooled
3. The texture of the rock is glassy due to extremely rapid cooling (it is Obsidian!)

I know a rock is sedimentary if:

1. I see layers of sediment cemented together
2. I see ripple marks
3. I see mud cracks
4. I see fossils
5. I see cobbles, pebbles, and sand grains cemented together

I know a rock is metamorphic if:

1. I see bands of light and dark minerals
2. I see distorted / folded, foliated structure
3. I see foliated “layers” of platey, flakey minerals like mica
4. I see a very hard, resistant, uniform, and weathered quartz boulder

Sample Regents Questions