KEY IDEAS

Objectives:
• Explain how the physical properties of minerals are determined by
their chemical compositions and crystal structures.
• Describe how minerals can be identified by well-defined physical and
chemical properties, such as cleavage, fracture, color, specific gravity,
hardness, streak, luster, crystal shape, and reaction with acid.
• Explain that chemical composition and physical properties determine
how humans use minerals.
• Describe how minerals are formed inorganically by the process of
crystallization as a result of specific environmental conditions.
What is Mineral?
• To a nutritionist, minerals are things to
be eaten, along with proteins,
carbohydrate, and vitamins.
• To a jeweler, a mineral is a stone to be
cut or polished.
• To a geologist, mineral is a naturally
occurring, inorganic compound with a
fixed chemical composition and an
orderly internal arrangement of atoms.
Defining characteristics of Minerals
• Minerals are naturally occurring.
• Formed as result of natural processes in or on Earth.
• Not manufactured in a factory or synthesized in laboratory.
• Minerals are inorganic matter.
• Not alive, never were alive, and do not come from living things.
• A chemical symbol or formula can be written for a mineral.
• Minerals are either elements or compounds.
• With definite chemical and physical properties.
• Elements
• Substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary
chemical means.
• Compound
• Consist of molecules, that is, groups of atoms joined together in a definite
proportion.
Defining characteristics of Minerals
• Minerals have a crystalline form.
• Atoms and molecules of a minerals are the same throughout that mineral.
• A solid having a definite internal structural pattern is said to have a crystalline
form.
• If the pattern is large enough to be seen with the unaided eye, the solid is
called crystal.
• Crystal determines its cleavage, or the way it splits or breaks, as well as many
other properties.
Identifying Minerals
• Mineralogists identified more than 2,000 minerals.
• Minerals can be identified on the basis of well-defined physical and
chemical properties.
• Common properties in mineral identification
• Color, luster, streak, hardness, and cleavage, parting, and fracture.
• Other properties used to identify minerals
• Specific gravity, radioactivity, luminescence, and chemical, thermal, electrical,
and magnetic properties, as well as elasticity, and strength.
Identifying Minerals
COLOR
• When observing color, it is important to use a fresh surface of a mineral.
• Color alone is an unreliable property
LUSTER
• The way light reflects from its surface.
• Can be metallic or nonmetallic.
• Nonmetallic lusters can be described as glassy, brilliant, greasy or oily, waxy,
silky, pearly, or earthy.
• Related to the luster of a mineral are its transparency and iridescence, or the
play of colors in its interior or exterior.
Identifying Minerals
STREAK
• Color of the fine powder left when a mineral is rubbed against a hard, rough
surface.
• Unglazed porcelain, streak plate, is usually used to create a streak.
HARDNESS
• A mineral’s resistance to being scratched.
Identifying Minerals
CLEAVAGE, PARTING, and FRACTURE
• Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break parallel to atomic planes in its
crystalline structure.
• Parting is the tendency to break along surfaces that follow structural
weakness caused by factors such as pressure, or along zones of different
crystal types. These cleavage or parting surfaces often occur at very specific
angles to one another and can be helpful in identifying a mineral.
• Fracture is they do not follow a particular direction when they break.It does
not occur along smooth surfaces, it can display distinctive patterns that are
very helpful in mineral identification
How do minerals differ from each other?
• Minerals are grouped according to their chemical compositions.
• Major groups include the silicates, sulfides, oxides, carbonates, and
sulfates.
• Minor mineral groups include the nitrates, borates, chromates,
phosphates, halides, hydroxides and native elements.
Mineral Deposits
in the Philippines
How do these minerals affect human lives?
Top 5 minerals found in the Philippines

• Gold
• Copper
• Nickel
• Iron
• Chromium
• Manganese
 Conservation of Earth’s Resources
“Title”
I. Rationale

II. Objective

III. Guidelines

Prepared by:
 JOURNAL
 How do mineral resources contribute to the development of
our country?
 What factors need to be considered when a country is
searching for minerals
 What are the common forms of intervention in the mining
sector by our governments?
 Why do you think our government intervenes in mineral
production?
 What are the impacts of mining on our country?
Glocal Implications of Resources Use and
Distribution