ROCK-FORMING

MINERALS
How is a mineral different from a rock?
ROCK
•the solid mineral
material forming
part of the surface
of the earth and
other similar
planets, exposed
on the surface or
underlying the soil
or oceans.
 Mineral
Building blocks of rocks.
Used for basic
necessities and
decorative purposes.
 Health Sciences
A substance beneficial for the body.

Mining Industry
A substance extracted from a mine.

Geology
A naturally-occurring, inorganic solid that exhibits
a crystalline structure and can be represented by
a formula.
Did you know?
MINERAL’S
CHARACTERISTICS is
used to differentiate
a mineral from
a regular
rock.

Unique sets of properties due to its crystalline

structure and chemical compositions.
What are the
characteristics to
determine if an Earth
mineral is a mineral?
1. Naturally-occurring
-formed by geologic processes
without any human intervention.
2. Inorganic
-formed by inorganic processes and does not contain
any organic compounds.
e.g: *CALCITE and other
shell forming
minerals.
>formed through organic
processes but are still
considered as a minerals if
they become part of a rock.
3. Solid –exhibit stability
at room temperature.
4. Crystalline structure
–look like crystals.
-the arrangement of
their atoms is ordered
and repetitive.
• OBSIDIAN
>thus, naturally occurring,
inorganic solid; they lack
crystalline structure.
5. Can be represented by a chemical formula
–most minerals are chemical compound and can be
represented using a fixed or variable chemical formula.
e.g:

*QUARTZ *OLIVINE
(SiO2) (Mg2SiO4) or (FeSiO4)
PROPERTIES
OF
 Optical
Properties

*Luster *Light transmission

*Color *Streak
>LUSTER  Metallic

-quality of
light that is
being  Submetallic
reflected
by the
surface of a
mineral.
 Nonmetallic
METALLIC LUSTER

Look like
metals and are
shiny.
SUBMETALLIC LUSTER
Develop a dull
coating and
are not shiny.
 NONMETALLIC LUSTER
Glassy, earthy, pearly, or greasy.
e.g:

Galena Amber Quartz

-metallic -resinous -glassy
luster
>LIGHT TRANSMISSION
-determines whether it’s opaque,
translucent, or transparent.

 Opaque
 Translucent
 Transparent
Opaque
–the light does not pass
through.
Translucent
-some of the
light passes through.
Transparent
-almost all the
light completely
pass through.
>COLOR
-an unreliable property; slight
impurities can affect color.
e.g:

Rose Quartz Purple Amethyst

Smoky Quartz Clear Quartz

>STREAK
-the color of mineral in its
powdered form.
 Mineral Strength
-how easy the mineral
breaks or deforms when
exposed to stress.
*Tenacity *Hardness
*Cleavage *Fracture
-Tenacity
-mineral’s resistance to breaking or
deforming. Brittle
Malleable
Sectile
elastic
-Hardness
-measure of mineral’s resistance
to abrasion or scratching.

A German mineralogist who made

a comparative hardness scale.

Friedrich Mohs
(1973-1989)
Mohs
Scale of
Hardness
Cleavage
–once a
mineral breaks,
smooth flat
surfaces are
formed from
the breakage.
Fracture
–if a mineral
doesn’t have a
cleavage plane due
to equally strong
chemical bonds
between atoms.
Specific Gravity
–describe the
density of mineral.
-the ratio of mass
of mineral to the
equal volume of
water.
-a specific gravity
that is between 2
and 3.
COMMON
ROCK
FORMING
MINERALS
FOUND ON
EARTH’S
CRUST
EALSWO#3_Pros&ConsOfMining
• Find a pair and conduct an
investigative research on the
present state of mining projects in
the Philippines. Write in a debate
style the pros and cons of the
selected mining activities.
• Express your inputs/opinion based
on the collected arguments and
insights.

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