Minerals

Humans cannot survive without

minerals
• 16 minerals needed
for humans to survive
• .03% of what we eat
but we would not
survive without the
minerals
• Sodium, potassium,
calcium, magnesium,
copper, phosphorous
 Minerals make-up many
practical parts of our lives
 Glass is made from 6 minerals
• Silica
• Limestone
• Magnesium
• Boric acid
• Soda
• Aluminum
• 40 billion glass
containers/year in USA
• 35 % are recycled
 Gold in California
• Discovered in the
American River, 1848
• Gold Rush- 1849
• Population of SF- 575
males,177 females, 60
children- March, 1848
• 100,000- December 1849
• Chinese, Welsh, German,
English, Mexican,
Spanish and French
• Diversity of California
 Salt
• Early people collected salt
before they understood
how important the mineral
is for survival
• Mediterranean-salt cakes
were used as money
• Greeks traded salt for
slaves
• England flourished when
fuel for boiling brine
changed from wood to coal
 Minerals are mined for our use

Magmatic copper, magnetite, uranium

 What is a mineral?
• Naturally occurring
• Inorganic
Halite, salt, sodium
• Crystalline structure chloride
 Atoms make-up minerals
• An atom is the
smallest component
of matter
• Each element is
defined by the
number of protons
• The atom must be
electrically neutral
• The number of
protons equals the
number of electrons
http://www.howstuffworks.com/atom/htm#
Eight elements make-up 99% of the
Earth’s crust

Silicon and oxygen make-up 70 % of the Earth’s crust

 Why do atoms combine to form
minerals?
• Write the following questions and
answer in your notes:
• Look at the salt with the hand lens
• What is the color?
• What is the shape of the crystals?
• Does the shape match the halite crystals?
• What is a distinguishing characteristic of
salt?
Salt is also named Sodium Chloride
• Look at the periodic table:
• Write the chemical notation, atomic
number and atomic weight for sodium and
chlorine
• Now sketch an atom with the nucleus
containing the correct number of protons
and neutrons
• Sketch the electrons on the “rings” around
the nucleus
Sodium chloride: sketch a
diagram of the sodium and
chlorine atoms
 Why do sodium and chlorine
combine to form salt?
• Explain why sodium and chlorine combine
to form salt
 The configuration of electrons
determines if an atom will respond
with another atom

The sodium atom has one electron on its outer ring. The Chlorine atom
has 7 electrons on its outer ring. The two atoms share electrons
forming an ionic bond.
 Atomic structure determines the
mineral’s characteristics

Salt or halite always has a cubic form and tastes salty.

 Cations and Anions
• The one electron on • The one electron is
the outer shell is added to Chlorines
given up outer shell
• This leaves the • This leaves the
sodium atom with chlorine atom with
more protons, +1 one more electron, -1

cation anion
 Mineral
Formation
• Cooling of magma:
crystallization
• Evaporation: salt
• Hydrothermal
Silicate minerals are the building
block of igneous rocks

Granite: individual minerals

make-up the rock
Mountains, British Columbia
Minerals are the building block
of rocks
Quartz

Biotitie
Feldspar crystal

Hornblende
 Minerals can be identified by
physical properties
• Crystal habit
• Cleavage
• Fracture Equant garnet: same dimension in
all directions

Quartz has a conchoidal fracture Mica has a single, perfect cleavage

 Color

malachite

apatite

sulfur
 Hardness

How the mineral can

be scratched
• Fingernail
• Penny
• File or knife
 Streak

• Minerals leave a
distinct residue on a
porcelain plate
 Luster

• Metallic or non-metallic
 Classification of Minerals
• Composition
The silicon
• Rock forming tetrahedron
minerals contain
silicon and
oxygen
 The arrangement of the silicon
tetrahedron determines the mineral’s
shape
Hornblende:
double chain

Olivine

Biotite: sheet structure;

breaks easily on one
surface
 Mineral Classification: based on
dominant element
Sulfides: contains the element sulfur

Pyrite: fool’s gold; FeS2 Galena: PbS; important ore of

lead
 Mineral Classification: based on
dominant element
• Carbonates: contains calcium carbonate; CaCO3

Calcite: CaCo3 Dolomite: CaMg(CO3)2

 Summary
• Mineral definition
• How do minerals form?
• Read and understand information associated
with the periodic table of the elements
• Be able to sketch a diagram of an atom:
hydrogen, helium, carbon, sodium, chlorine
• How are minerals classified: rock forming
minerals? Silicates, sulfides, carbonates
• Name and describe the physical characteristics
to distinguish minerals.