EARTH MATERIALS

MINERALS AND ROCKS

MINERALS
 Mineral is a crystalline solid with a
definite composition and structure.
They are produced in nature.

They are
They are inorganic. homogeneous
solids.

Their atoms have the same

internal or crytalline pattern.
1. Silicates primarily present with silicon-oxygen
tetrahedrons (SiO42-).
e.g. olivine and quartz.

2. Oxides consists of metal cations bonded to oxygen

anions.
e.g. magnetite (Fe3O4) and hematite (Fe2O3)
3. Sulfides. They are common ore minerals along with
oxides since metals from a high proportion of the
mineral.
e.g. Galena (PbS) and Pyrite (FeS2).
4. Sulfates. Consists of metal cations bonded to the
SO42- anionic group. They usually precipitate out of
water near Earth’s surface.
e.g. gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O)

5. Halides. Composed of Halogen Ion, such as chlorine

or fluorine, which forms halite or rock salt (NaCl) and
Fluorite (CaF2)
6. Carbonates. Characterized by the presence of
carbonic ion (CO32-) which bonds elements such as
calcium or magnesium to form calcite (CaCO3) or
dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2).

7. Native Metals which consists of metal element

such as copper (Cu) and gold (Au).
 -always composed of the
Quartz
elements silicon and oxygen.

-never part of an organism,

which is similar to quartz
Feldspar
-contains atoms of aluminum.
Sodium, potassium and calcium
 - All silicate minerals, known
Mica as sheet silicates because
they form in distinct layers.

Ferromagnetic - Silicates of iron and

magnessium
 - hydrous aluminium
Clay phyllosilicates, sometimes
with variable amounts of
iron, magnesium, alkali
metals, alkaline earths,
and other cations

Calcite -carbonate minéral and

most stable polymorphe of
calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
Color
- Depends on its chemical composition
- Caused by the absorption or lack of
absorption
- Perceived wavelength of light that
bounced off from the material
- Sulfur – yellow color
- Iron – red color
- Quartz – clear, lavender, purple
Color
Streak
- Involves rubbing the minerals across
an unglazed porcelain tile or streak
plate
- The same mineral will leave the same
color no matter what color it appears
to the eye
- Quartz – will always leave white
streak
Luster
- The ability to reflect light
- Metallic luster is used to describe any
mineral having the appearance of
metals.
- Minerals that do not possess such are
described as dull, pearly, silky, glassy,
waxy or brilliant.
- Pyrite has metallic luster; topaz has
glassy luster
Hardness
- Measure of strength of the
mineral relative to the strength
of its chemical bonds.

- In 1822, an Austrian mineralogist

Friedrich Mohs devised the first
scale of hardness of minerals.
Hardness
- The hardness test is conducted by
scratching the unknown mineral with a
standard item or a mineral of known
hardness.

- If the unknown mineral can be

scratched by the standard item or
unknown mineral, then, its hardness
will be less than that of the item or
known mineral.
Density

- The amount of
matter in a given
volume.

- How heavy a
mineral is for its size.
Cleavage and Fracture

Cleavage – When a mineral

break along smooth, flat surfaces.
Layer of a Cake

Fracture – When minerals break

with rough or jagged edges.
Chunk of a Cake
Cleavage and Fracture
 Mineral Color Luster Hardness Streak Density

Calcite

Corundum

Feldspar

Graphite

Halite

Hematite

Mica

Quartz
In the earth’s crust, magma is the
main source of minerals.

As magma cools, certain atoms

link together in definite
arrangements, forming crystals.

Each kind of crystal is a mineral.

The most beautiful crystals are
called gems.
The removal of soluble minerals from
rocks by ground water is called
leaching.

The eroded materials are carried and

deposited by running water, forming
alluvial deposits.
Minerals may accumulate extensively
and form mineral deposits, which a
metal may be extracted profitably is
called a mineral ore.
Ores are rocks or mineral deposits
from which metals can be obtained
commercially.

Areas where diggings are made to

extract mineral ores called mines.

Minerals are obtained from the earth by

mining which involves digging tunnels or
pits.
Ores that are found near the earth’s
surface are mined by digging large pits
called open-pit mining or strip mining.

Ores that are found in cracks and faults

in the layers of the crust called vein is
mined through shaft mining.

Metals are removed from their ores by

smelting.
Copper and iron – for weapon and tool
making
Gold – adornment and a measure of
wealth; for jewelry
Metals are combined to form alloys.
Iron and Carbon will form steel; Iron
with varying amounts of chromium,
nickel and manganese to make stainless
steel.
Graphite as pencil lead and as lubricant
Talc is a main component of powder,
face creams, and dinnerware.

Quartz use for optics, watches, clocks,

radio and telephone operations.
Sand, gravel and limestone are used for
concrete cement

Sulfur used in dyes, fertilizer and drugs

Thank You!
ROCKS
Rock is an aggregate of minerals and
are the basic building blocks of the
lithosphere.
Petrology – the science that deals with the
study of formation, composition and
classification of rocks.

Stratigraphy – the study of the Earth’s

strata (rock layers) to trace a particular
geologic event to a particular period, thus
allowing them to reconstruct the geologic
history of Earth.
 Oceanic rocks are denser than
those taken from the land.

Rocks may be dark, Rocks are fine,

light, reddish, gray, rough, smooth,
brown, yellow or glossy and average.
even black.

The deeper the rock, the

greater is its density.
The petrogenic
or rock cycle
was originally
proposed by
James Hutton.
The igneous rock originates when
molten material called magma cools and
solidifies. This process called
crystallization, may occur either deep
beneath the earth’s crust or on the
surface after a volcanic eruption.

If igneous rocks are exposed on the

surface of the earth, a process known as
weathering takes place. The effects of air,
water and snow will break rocks slowly.
Once these bits of rocks
called sediments are
transported and deposited,
the horizontal beds of
sediments will undergo
lithification.
A sediment is lithified when compacted by
the weight of overlying layers or when
cemented as percolating ground water
fills the pores with mineral matter
If this sedimentary rock gets buried very
deeply, heat and pressure will change
sedimentary rock into the third type:
metamorphic rock.

Later the metamorphic rock is subjected

to greater heat and pressure, until it
melts again to form magma.
Igneous rocks are formed by the cooling
and hardening of molten materials
found deep in the crust, closer to the
surface or near a volcano.
The word igneous comes from a Latin
word meaning “fire”.

May be classified as intrusive or plutonic

if they were formed inside the earth and
extrusive or volcanic if the rocks were
formed on the earth’s surface.
Intrusive rocks are light-colored, rich in
silica like quartz, mica and feldspar and
have large crystals.

Extrusive rocks are generally dark-

colored and heavy because they are rich
in magnesium and iron like lava.

In general, they are hard and tough.

They can either be fine-grained, coarse-
grained or glassy.
 -Diorite is coarse-grained and dark-
colored. Andesite is fine-grained and
Diorite light-colored.
Andesite
- light-colored and coarse-grained
rock; forms mountains and a large part
of continents.
-the flat shining black crystals (mica),
Granite
the clear colorless pieces which look
like broken glass (quartz) and the
milky white or colored crystals
(feldspar)
 -is coarse-grained but dark-
Gabbro colored. It is often called “black
granite”.

-dark, hard, fine-grained rock. It

is formed from lava or magma
Basalt
near the earth’s surface. It
makes up the ocean floor.
 -dark, glassy and has no
Obsidian
crystals. It is formed from lava.

-Pumice is light-colored and so

low density that floats in water

Scoria -Scoria has larger holes but is

Pumice much heavier and darker than
pumice.
Sedimentary rocks are formed from the
weathered products of pre-exisitng rocks
that have been transported, deposited
and lithified.
Sedimentary was derived from the Latin
word seimentum which means “settling”.

May be classified as clastic or non-clastic.

Sedimentary rocks contain the remains
or traces of living things called fossils.
Clastic Sediments are broken fragments
of pre-existing rocks ranging in size from
fine clay particles to large boulders.
It includes conglomerate, sandstone,
shale and siltstone.

Nonclastic sediments are subdivided into

chemical precipitates, biochemical
sediments and organic sediments.
 Sediments Sedimentary Rock
clay, silt, mud shale
sand sandstone
gravel conglomerate
peat conglomerate,
(plant remains) lignite (soft coal)
shells and skeletons limestone
 -rock consisting of pebbles or
pieces of gravel cemented
Conglomerate together.
- formed riverbeds, at the foot of
mountains, and along beaches.
- composed mostly of CaCO3.
- formed by the action of plants
Limestone and animals living on the bottoms
of lakes and oceans (Coquina)
-formed directly by living
organisms (Coral reef)
 -is hardened clay; the most
common sedimentary rock
Shale - Formed by mixing with fine
sand, organic matter, iron
oxide and other impurities
- is rough; often used to
sharpen knives and other
Sandstone tools
- Formed when layers of sand
grains are deposited by water
or wind
Metamorphic rocks are formed under
conditions of heat and pressure.
These changes may occur at depths from
12-16km with temperature ranges from
150oC-180oC.

May be classified as foliated or non-

foliated rocks. It undergoes
rearrangement of mineral grains and
alignment of bands or layers.
Foliated or banded rocks exhibit foliation, a
characteristic wherein elongate minerals are
oriented to each other. It gives the rocks
banded appearance, needle-shaped, grow in
the direction of least pressure.

Non-foliated rocks do not show foliation

or rocks without a banding. These are
recrystallized rocks and are changed
from mineral rocks.
 Origin Metamorphic Rock
shale slate/schist
conglomerate gneiss
limestone marble
sandstone quartzite
lignite hard coal
granite schist/gneiss
dolomite marble
 -composed of small crystals of clay
minerals and elongate crystals of
Slate mica
- is harder than shale and is black
or gray in color

- come from shales and fine-

grained igneous rocks
Schist
- are large enough to be seen by
the naked eye
 -comes from limestone but crystals
Marble of calcite in marble are larger and
of uniform size

- comes from quartz sandstone in

which sand grains are cemented
Quartzite with silica
- is slippery and smooth to the
touch
Large parts of Zambales, Bataan, Laguna
de Bay, Bicol region, Palawan, Bukidnon-
Lanao region and Sulu have large
surface areas showing igneous rocks.

Some parts of Cordillera and Sierra

Madre Mountain ranges, have igneous
rocks formed deep in the crusts which
were subsequently exposed after
geologic processes took place.
Most of the coastal towns, like Cagayan
Valley and the Central Plain of Luzon, are
composed predominantly of sedimentary
rocks.
Some sedimentary rocks on top of
mountains and hills in Montalban and
Antipolo, Rizal.

Certain parts of Northeastern Luzon,

Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon and
western Mindanao have exposed
metamorphic rocks.
IMPORTANCE OF MINERALS