Minerals

What are Minerals?

A naturally occurring inorganic homogeneous solid that has a definite chemical composition, and
an ordered internal structure. Geologists can identify minerals because they have characteristic.

1-"Definite chemical composition" means that all occurrences of that mineral have a chemical
composition that varies within a specific limited range. For example: the mineral halite (known as
"rock salt" when it is mined) has a chemical composition of NaCl. It is made up of an equal
number of atoms of sodium and chlorine.

2 "Naturally occurring" means that people did not make it. Steel is not a mineral because it is
an alloy produced by people.

-3"Solid" means it is not a liquid or a gas at standard temperature and pressure except Mercury.

-4"Inorganic" means that the substance is not made by an organism. Wood and
pearls are made by organisms and thus are not minerals.
 5-"Ordered internal structure" means that the atoms in a mineral are arranged in a
systematic and repeating pattern. The structure of the mineral halite is shown in the
illustration on this page. Halite is composed of an equal ratio of sodium and chlorine
atoms arranged in a cubic pattern.
 5-"Ordered internal structure" means that the atoms in a mineral are arranged in a
systematic and repeating pattern. The structure of the mineral halite is shown in the
illustration on this page. Halite is composed of an equal ratio of sodium and chlorine
atoms arranged in a cubic pattern.

‫ترتيب صفائحي‬
The physical characteristics of minerals
include traits which are used to identify and describe mineral species
A- Optical properties
1- Colour ‫تدرس العالقه بين المعدن والضوء الساقط عليه‬
2- Streak ‫الخواص البصريه‬
3- Luster ‫ البريق‬، ‫ الشفافيه‬، ‫ المخدش‬، ‫ اللون‬:‫مثل‬
4- Transparency
B- Cohesive properties
1- Hardness ‫وهي تعتمد على مدى تماسك جزيئات المعدن‬ ‫الخواص التماسكيه‬
2- Cleavage
3- Fracture ‫ المكسر‬، ‫ األنفصال‬، ‫ األنفصام‬، ‫ الصالبه‬:‫مثل‬
4- Parting
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour ، ‫ الملمس‬، ‫ المذاق‬:‫وهي تعتمد على حواس مثل‬ ‫الخواص الحسيه‬
3- Sense
‫والرائحه‬
D- Specific gravity
Colour

Sulfur

Azurite

Malachite
.
Quartz
Streak ‫المخدش‬
is the color of the mineral in powdered form. Streak shows the true color of the
mineral, which may differ from the mineral colour.
 : Streak - 2 Optical
properties
Powder colour
 : Streak - 2 Optical
properties
Powder colour
‫البريق‬
 Metallic Luster ‫فلزي‬

Graphite Pyrite Galina

Submetallic Luster‫تحت فلزي‬
Nonmetallic glassy luster‫الفلزي زجاجي‬
Nonmetallic Pearly luster ‫الفلزي للللي‬

Biotite
Muscovite
Nonmetallic silky luster‫الفلزي حريري‬
ACTINOLITE
Nonmetallic adamantine luster‫الفلزي ماسي‬
Diamond
Nonmetallic Resinous luster ‫الفلزي صمغي‬
‫الكبريت‬

Sulfur

Sphalerite
NONMETALLIC EARTHY LUSTER‫الفلزي ارضي‬

kaolinite
Transparency ‫الشفافية‬
is a mineral’s ability to allow light
to pass through it.
1- Transparent
2- Translucent

Graphite
Gold
 : Transparency Optical
properties
Transparent- Semitransparent - Opaque
 : Transparency Optical
properties
Transparent- Semitransparent - Opaque
 : Transparency Optical
properties
Transparent- Semitransparent - Opaque
 : Hardness - 1 Cohesive
properties
It is the metal's resistance to scratching or breaking

Moh’s Hardness Scale

 : Hardness - 1 Cohesive
properties
It is the metal's resistance to scratching or breaking

Moh’s Hardness Scale

1.5-2.5 2.3 – 3.5 3.5 – 5.5 5.5 – 7

1 2 3 4
2- Cleavage ‫االنفصام‬
 ‫االنفصام‪: Cleavage -‬‬ ‫‪Cohesive‬‬
‫‪properties‬‬
‫وهو عبارة عن قابليه المعدن للتشقق فى اتجاهات‬
‫معينه نتيجه لضعف فى الترتيب الذرى الداخلى‬
‫‪ -‬غير موجود‬ ‫‪ -‬موجود‬
Cleavage : Present- Cohesive
properties
Cleavage : Present- Cohesive
properties
Cleavage : Present- Cohesive
properties
Cleavage : Present- Cohesive
properties
Cleavage : Absent- Cohesive
properties
 3- Fracture ‫المكسر‬
It is the shape of a rock's surface formed when a mineral is fractured. describe
how a mineral breaks. Most minerals display uneven fracture. Fractures can be
described as conchoidal, rough, smooth, or fibrous.

Conchoidal Uneven
 4- Parting ‫االنفصال‬
(Present, Absent)

Parting is a break along structural

planes, just like cleavage. However,
parting differs from cleavage in
some important ways. It cannot be
found in every specimen as is true
of cleavage for most every
cleavable mineral. It is not
absolutely repeatable or
reproducible.
Parting is caused by pressures that
are applied to a crystal or
by twinning. The pressure breaks
the crystal on a plane of weakness.
C- Sense properties

1- Taste Halite: Salty taste

2- Odour Sulfur: Sulfuric odour
3- Sense Talc soapy sense
 D-Specific Gravity
It is the density of a substance relative to water .
Specific gravity is the "heaviness" of a
mineral. It is defined as a number that
expresses the ratio between the weight
of a mineral and the weight of an equal
volume of water. Water has a specific
gravity of “1.

Light- medium – heavy – very heavy

A- Optical properties
1- Colour :‫ الخواص البصريه‬- 1
2- Streak :‫اللون‬-
3- Transparency ‫ لون المسحوق‬:‫ المخدش‬-
4- Luster
))‫معتم‬ ‫نصف شفاف‬ ‫ ((شفاف‬:‫الشفافيه‬-
B- Cohesive properties ))“............ ،‫الفلزى ”زجاجى‬ ‫تحت فلزى‬ ‫ ((فلزى‬:‫البريق‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage
3- Parting
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour :‫ الخواص البصريه‬- 1
2- Streak :‫اللون‬-
3- Transparency ‫ لون المسحوق‬:‫ المخدش‬-
4- Luster
))‫معتم‬ ‫نصف شفاف‬ ‫ ((شفاف‬:‫ الشفافيه‬-
B- Cohesive properties ))“............ ،‫الفلزى ”زجاجى‬ ‫تحت فلزى‬ ‫ ((فلزى‬:‫ البريق‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage
3- Parting
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour :‫ الخواص البصريه‬- 1
2- Streak :‫اللون‬-
3- Transparency ‫ لون المسحوق‬:‫ المخدش‬-
4- Luster
))‫معتم‬ ‫نصف شفاف‬ ‫ ((شفاف‬:‫الشفافيه‬-
B- Cohesive properties ))“............ ،‫الفلزى ”زجاجى‬ ‫تحت فلزى‬ ‫ ((فلزى‬:‫البريق‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage
3- Parting
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour :‫ الخواص البصريه‬- 1
2- Streak :‫اللون‬-
3- Transparency ‫ لون المسحوق‬:‫ المخدش‬-
4- Luster
))‫معتم‬ ‫نصف شفاف‬ ‫ ((شفاف‬:‫ الشفافيه‬-
B- Cohesive properties ))“............ ،‫الفلزى ”زجاجى‬ ‫تحت فلزى‬ ‫ ((فلزى‬:‫ البريق‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage
3- Parting
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour :‫ الخواص البصريه‬- 1
2- Streak :‫اللون‬-
3- Transparency ‫ لون المسحوق‬:‫ المخدش‬-
4- Luster
))‫معتم‬ ‫نصف شفاف‬ ‫ ((شفاف‬:‫ الشفافيه‬-
B- Cohesive properties ))“............ ،‫الفلزى ”زجاجى‬ ‫تحت فلزى‬ ‫ ((فلزى‬:‫ البريق‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage
3- Parting
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour
1 – 2.5 ‫ ظفر االنسان‬- 1
2- Streak
3- Transparency 2.5 _ 3.5 ‫ عملة معدنية‬- 2
4- Luster 3.5 _ 5.5 ‫ دبوس‬- 3 :‫ الخواص التماسكيه‬- 2
5.5 _ 7 ‫ الكوارتز‬- 4 ) ‫ (رقم‬:‫ الصالده‬-
B- Cohesive properties
))‫غير موجود‬ ‫ ((موجود‬:‫ األنفصام‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage ))‫غير موجود‬ ‫ ((موجود‬:‫ األنفصال‬-
3- Parting ))‫غير مستوى‬ ‫مستوى‬ ‫ ((محارى‬:‫ المكسر‬-
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour
2- Streak
3- Transparency
4- Luster :‫ الخواص التماسكيه‬- 2
) ‫ (رقم‬:‫ الصالده‬-
B- Cohesive properties
))‫غير موجود‬ ‫ ((موجود‬:‫ األنفصام‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage (Present- absent) ))‫ ((غير موجود‬:‫ األنفصال‬-
3- Parting (absent) ))‫غير مستوى‬ ‫مستوى‬ ‫ ((محارى‬:‫ المكسر‬-
4- Fracture (uneven, conchoidal,….)
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour
2- Streak
3- Transparency
4- Luster :‫ الخواص التماسكيه‬- 2
) ‫ (رقم‬:‫الصالده‬-
B- Cohesive properties
))‫غير موجود‬ ‫ ((موجود‬:‫ األنفصام‬-
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage ))‫ ((غير موجود‬:‫ األنفصال‬-
3- Parting ))‫غير مستوى‬ ‫مستوى‬ ‫ ((محارى‬:‫ المكسر‬-
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour
2- Streak
3- Transparency
4- Luster

B- Cohesive properties
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage
3- Parting
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste :‫ الخواص الحسيه‬- 3
2- Odour ‫ المذاق‬- ‫الرائحه‬- ‫ الملمس‬-
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity
A- Optical properties
1- Colour
2- Streak
3- Transparency
4- Luster

B- Cohesive properties
1- Hardness
2- Cleavage
3- Parting
4- Fracture
C- Sense properties
1- Taste
2- Odour
‫ الوزن النوعي‬- 4
3- Sense
D- Specific gravity Light- intermediate – heavy – very heavy
‫ ثقيل جدا‬- ‫ ثقيل‬- ‫ متوسط‬- ‫خفيف‬
‫‪A- Optical properties‬‬ ‫‪ - 1‬الخواص البصريه‪:‬‬
‫‪1- Colour‬‬ ‫‪-‬اللون‪:‬‬
‫‪2- Streak‬‬
‫‪ -‬المخدش‪ :‬لون المسحوق‬
‫‪3- Transparency‬‬
‫‪4- Luster‬‬ ‫معتم))‬ ‫نصف شفاف‬ ‫‪ -‬الشفافيه‪(( :‬شفاف‬
‫الفلزى ”زجاجى‪))“............ ،‬‬ ‫تحت فلزى‬ ‫‪-‬البريق‪(( :‬فلزى‬
‫‪B- Cohesive properties‬‬ ‫‪ - 2‬الخواص التماسكية‪:‬‬
‫‪1- Hardness‬‬
‫‪-‬الصالده‪ :‬رقم‬
‫‪2- Cleavage‬‬
‫‪3- Parting‬‬ ‫غير موجود))‬ ‫‪ -‬األنفصام‪(( :‬موجود‬
‫‪4- Fracture‬‬ ‫‪ -‬األنفصال‪(( :‬غير موجود))‬
‫‪C- Sense properties‬‬ ‫‪ -‬المكسر‪(( :‬محارى مستوى غير مستوى))‬
‫‪1- Taste‬‬
‫‪ - 3‬الخواص الحسية‪:‬‬
‫‪2- Odour‬‬
‫‪3- Sense‬‬ ‫‪ -‬المذاق‬ ‫‪-‬الرائحه‬ ‫‪ -‬الملمس‬
‫خفيف ‪-‬متوسط ‪ -‬ثقيل ‪ -‬ثقيل جدا‪D- Specific gravity‬‬ ‫‪ - 4‬الوزن النوعي‬