EARTH’S MATERIALS AND ROCKS

They make up the solid part of the lithosphere and provide us with valuable resources.
There are over 5,000 minerals but only a few occur as rock-forming minerals.

ROCKS
Overtime, rocks are gradually transformed from one type to another in what we call Rock
Cycle. This is the basis of rock identification and classification.

Rocks exhibit different properties.

ROCKS CYCLE
The rock cycle summarizes the transformational processes that change rocks from one kind
to another. It shows the entire journey of rocks formed as they changed

As magma cools and solidifies either deep in the Earth's crust or at the surface, igneous
rocks are formed. When the rocks are exposed, they are subjected to weathering and
erosion. The weathered and eroded materials form sediments which are transported and
deposited by agents of weathering and erosion such as water and wind.

TYPES OF ROCKS
According to geologists, rocks form in different ways. All rocks can be put into one of those
fundamental categories based on their origin. The differences between them have to do
with how they are formed.

MINERALS
Minerals of the same kind have the same crystal shape.
The crystal shape is an external expression of the mineral's atomic structure.

Moh's Scale of Hardness

This test compares the resistance of a mineral to being scratched by ten reference minerals
known as the Mohs Hardness Scale.

This makes hardness a reliable diagnostic property for most minerals.

Except for diamond, the minerals are all relatively common and easy or inexpensive to
obtain.

METALLIC MINERALS
(In general, they occur as mineral deposits and are a good conductor of heat and
electricity.)
e.g. iron, copper, gold, bauxite, manganese etc.

(are malleable and ductile in nature)

so they can be easily pounded into thin sheets or stretched into wires to make new
products.

(They are hard and have a shiny surface.)

so some of them can be used as gems in jewelry.

NONMETALLIC MINERALS
(are the minerals that do not contain metals.)
e.g. limestone, mica, coal, gypsum, dolomite, phosphate, salt, manganese, granite etc.

(are used in various industries to produce a variety of products, for example: MICA is
used in the electrical industry,LIMESTONE is used in the cement industry.)
Furthermore, they are also used in the production of fertilizers and manufacturing of
refractories.