Rocks and Minerals

A mineral is a naturally
occurring inorganic
compound with a unique
chemical structure and
physical properties.
A rock is a solid, stony
mass composed of a
combination of minerals or
other organic compounds.
For example, quartz and
feldspars are minerals, but
when formed together,
they make a rock, granite”
To determine if an Earth
rock is a mineral, it should
exhibit the following
characteristics
Naturally occurring
Inorganic
Can be represented by a
chemical formula
Crystalline structure
Solid
Most minerals form by
inorganic processes but
some, identical in all
respects to inorganically
formed minerals, are
produced by organic
Physical Properties
of Minerals
Luster describes the
appearance of a mineral
when light is reflected from
its surface.
Metallic, having the look of
a polished metal
Submetallic, having the
look of a metal that is dulled
by weathering or corrosion
Non-metallic, not looking
like a metal at all.
Transparency describes
how well light passes
through a mineral sample
There are three degrees
of transparency:
transparent, translucent,
and opaque.
Color is one of the most
obvious properties of a
mineral but it is often of
limited diagnostic value,
especially in minerals that
are not opaque.
Quartz, for example, can
vary from colorless to
white to yellow to gray to
pink to purple to black.
Never use color as a final
diagnostic property --
check other properties
before making an
identification.
Streak refers to the color of
the mineral in its powdered
form, which may or may not
be the same color as the
mineral.
Streak is obtained by
scratching the mineral on
an unpolished piece of
white porcelain called a
streak plate
Streak is commonly more
reliable than color for
identification.
The streak of this dark gray
mineral (hematite), obtained
by rubbing it on the white
streak plate is reddish
brown.
A mineral that exhibits
cleavage consistently
breaks, or cleaves, along
parallel flat surfaces called
cleavage planes.
A mineral fractures if it
breaks along random,
irregular surfaces. Some
minerals break only by
fracturing, while others both
cleave and fracture.
Habit of a mineral may be
define as the size and
shape of the crystal, and
the structure of form
shown by the crystal.
1. Accicular minerals
showing needle like
crystal. E.g. natrolite
2. Fibrous minerals
showing an aggregate of
long thin fibers. E.g.
Asbestos
3. Tabular minerals
showing bladed habit
occur as small knife
blades. E.g. Kyanite
4. Granular minerals
which occur as aggregate
of equidimensional grains.
E.g. chromites
5. Pisolitic minerals which
occur as aggregate of
rounded grains of a pea
size. E.g. oolite
6. Columnar minerals
showing columnar crystal.
E.g. tourmaline
Minerals strength
determines how easy the
mineral breaks or deforms
when exposed to stress.
Hardness is the resistance
of a mineral to scratching or
abrasion by other materials.
Hardness is determined by
scratching the surface of
the sample with another
mineral or material of
known hardness.
The standard hardness
scale, called Mohs
Hardness Scale consists of
ten minerals ranked in
ascending order and 10 is
considered as the hardest.
The property of tenacity
describes the behavior of
a mineral under
deformation.
It describes the physical
reaction of a mineral to
externally applied stresses
such as crushing, cutting,
bending, and striking
forces.
Adjectives used to
characterize various types of
mineral tenacity include
'brittle,' ‘sectile,' 'flexible,'
'elastic,' 'malleable,' and
'ductile,’
Brittle breaks or powders
easily.
Malleable can be hammered
into thin sheets.
Sectile can be cut into thin
shavings with a knife.
Sectile
orpiment
Ductile bends easily and
does not return to its original
shape.
Flexible bends somewhat
and does not return to its
original shape.
Ductile
copper
Flexible
gypsum
Elastic bends but does
return to its original shape.
Elastic
mica
Additional Properties
To test a mineral for
magnetism, just put the
magnet and mineral together
and see if they are attracted.
Reaction with Acid.
Some minerals, especially
carbonate minerals, react
visibly with acid. (Usually, a
dilute hydrochloric acid [HCl]
is used.)
Taste, Odor, Feel
Some minerals have a
distinctive taste, some a
distinctive odor, and some a
distinctive feel