CHAPTER 2

INTRODUCTION TO
MINERALOGY

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INTRODUCTION TO MINERALOGY

LEARNING
OUTCOMES
(LO)

LO1 : The student should LO2 : The student should

understand the physical understand the rock
properties of minerals forming mineral / silicate
structure

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INTRODUCTION TO ROCK AND
MINERAL
• What is mineral????

A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid

that possesses a definite chemical structure that gives it a
unique set of physical properties

• What is the different between rock and mineral?

Rocks are collection of one or more minerals.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
ROCK AND MINERALS
 WHY WE NEED TO KNOW A MINERAL IN
ROCKS?
In order to understand how rocks vary in composition and properties,
it is necessary to know the varieties of minerals that commonly
occur in them and to identify a rock, it is necessary to
know which minerals are present in it.

The atmosphere supports life because animals need oxygen,

and plants need both carbon dioxide and oxygen.

An atom is the smallest particle of matter that still retains the

characteristics of an element. Each atom has a nucleus, which contains
protons (+ve) and neutrons (neutral). Orbiting the nucleus of an atom are
The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus determines its atomic
number and the name of the element.

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 BONDING AND COMPOUNDS

Atoms combined with each other to form compounds. Atom’s bond

together by either gaining, losing or sharing electrons with other atoms.

Ionic bonding – One or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another
(Gaining and losing electrons). Ionic compounds consist of oppositely charged
ions assembled in a regular, crystalline structure that allows for the maximum
attraction of ions, given their sizes.

Covalent bonding – Atom’s sharing the electrons.

Shell model for common atom
Ionic Bonding to form the mineral Halite (NaCl)
Covalent Bonding
 TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY
MINERALS

The study of a Hand Specimen The examination of a thin slice of

of the mineral or rock in mineral, grind down to a thickness
which it occurs of 0.03mm using a Microscope

Chemical analysis – Atomic X-Ray diffraction – Use X-RD

absorption stimulation (AAS) machine

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2.1 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

COLOR STREAK LUSTRE HARDNESS

CRYSTAL HABIT REACTION WITH

TRANSPARENCY
(FORM) ACID

CLEAVAGE AND Since mineral has a definite chemical composition and

FRACTURE internal crystalline structure, all specimens of a
given mineral, have the same physical and
chemical properties.

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 COLOUR
The colour of a mineral is one of its most
obvious attributes, and is one of the properties that
is always given in any description.

Colour results from a mineral’s chemical composition,

impurities that may be present, and flaws or damage
in the internal structure.

Some minerals display a rainbow of colours (shown by the

mineral fluorite (CaF2) ) and some quartz display range of colours
from colourless crystals to purple, red, white, grey and jet black.

The colour of minerals can be referred using colour

chart for rocks.

Quartz – purple 14
Beryl - colourless Amethyst Sulphur - yellow Fluorite - blue
COLOUR VARIATION IN
MINERALS
Feldspar can be green, pink white, gray, etc
 LUSTRE
•Is the appearance of a mineral surface
in reflected light.
•This can be described by the degree of
brightness such as: Pyrite - metallic

Metallic – the light is reflected by the

mineral such as pyrite or galena.
Sulphur - resinous
Vitreous – like broken glass such as
quartz.

Resinous – greasy shine like resin

such as opal.
Malachite - silky
Silky – silky shine in fibrous minerals
such as asbestos and gypsum.

Dull – no lustre visible such as chalk

and kaolinite.
Kaolinite – dull
 STREAK

The streak of a mineral is the colour of its powder.

The colour is entirely different from their powder.

Crushing and powdering a mineral eliminates some

of the effects of impurities and structural flaws

Streak can be determined for any mineral by crushing it with a

hammer but it is more commonly (and less destructively) obtained by
rubbing the mineral across the surface of a hard, unglazed porcelain
material called a streak plate.

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 HARDNESS

Hardness or resistance to abrasion is

a standard scale of ten minerals, known as the
Moh’s Scale of Hardness.

Hardness is tested by attempting to scratch

of the scale with the specimen under examination.

The hardness of a mineral is controlled by the

strength of bonds between atoms and is measured by
the ease or difficulty with which it can be scratched.
 TRANSPARENCY
•Transparency is the degree to which a mineral allows light to pass through it.
•Transparency is described as:
Opaque – light is prevented from
passing through the mineral and
nothing can be seen through it.
Examples are orthoclase, magnetite Orthoclase - opaque
And hornblende.
Transparent - Minerals which allow
light to pass through fully and objects
on the other side are seen clearly
through the mineral. Examples are
colourless quartz and calcite. Gypsum - transparent

Semi-transparent – Minerals which

allow light to pass partially and objects
are seen hazy through the mineral.
Examples are slightly milky white
varieties of quartz and calcite. Quartz – semi-transparent

Translucent – minerals which allow only

some diffused light to pass through.
Examples are milky white varieties of
quartz and calcite. Tanzanite - translucent
 CRYSTAL FORM

The crystal faces reflect the internal symmetry of the crystal

structure that makes the mineral unique.

Crystal structures consist of definite arrangements of the

atoms of the elements that make up the minerals.

In contrast to chemical molecules, which have defined sizes,

crystal structures have no size limits although a crystal structure
does have a basic building unit called a unit cell.

Minerals with a crystal lattice are called crystalline,

those without a crystal structure are amorphous.
Crystal Systems
with examples
 REACTION WITH ACID

When dilute hydrochloric acid (typically 10 %) is dripped

onto some minerals, notably the carbonates, a reaction takes place.

Calcite produces bubbles of carbon dioxide when reaction

takes place while in some iron sulphide ores, hydrogen
sulphide is produced

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CALCITE REACTING WITH
ACID
 CLEAVAGE AND FRACTURE

Cleavage refers to the splitting of a mineral along smooth,

flat surfaces and it is related to the types of
bonds in the internal structure of the mineral.

Minerals that do not break along cleavage planes,

tend to fracture, or break, unevenly into curved or irregular pieces.

Types of fractures are based on their appearance:

uneven or irregular. splintery or fibrous. curved or conchoidal.

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 UNEVEN

CONCHOIDAL

FIBROUS

Figure shows the

cleavage in one, two,
three, four and six
directions of minerals.
CALCITE CLEAVAGE