Minerals

quarts mica
- building blocks
biotite of rocks
feldspar

MINERALS
ROCK
diamond
fluorite
talc
selenide gypsum
But….
What makes a mineral. . .

…A MINERAL?
5 CRITERIA
 5 CRITERIA

#1
The substance must
exist as a SOLID
under normal
conditions on Earth
 5 CRITERIA

#2
The substance must
be NATURALLY
OCCURRING on
Earth, not man-
made.
 5 CRITERIA

#3
The substance must
be INORGANIC, not
living or made of
living things.
 5 CRITERIA

#4
The substance must
have a FIXED
CHEMICAL FORMULA,
made of specific
elements.

QUARTZ
PYRITE == FeS
SiO2
 5 CRITERIA

#5
The atoms that make
up the substance
must be arranged in
an orderly structure.

SILICA TETRAHEDRA
5. Specific atomic
arrangement
4. Fixed chemical formula
3. Inorganic
2. Naturally occurring
1. Solid

5 CRITERIA
Mercury
Coal
?
Ice
√
Sulfur
√
Salt
Remember:
All the physical properties
of minerals . .
Remember:
All the physical properties
of minerals . .
…Results from the
mineral’s internal
arrangement of atoms
Remember:
All the physical properties
of minerals . .
…Results from the
mineral’s internal
arrangement of atoms
Some of the most
expensive
1967, Tanzania

1945, Sri Lanka & Tanzania

 1907, California
Japan & Arkansas

Can rival the prizes

of more expensive
rubies and
 1830, Ural Mountains
Sri Lanka, Brazil &
East Africa

Thomas Range, Wah

Wah Mountain in
Utah & Black Range
in New Mexico
 Almost identical to taaffeite
Greenland, Antarctica, Sri
Lanka, Madagascar &
Tanzania

Once prized $10-M

 1999, South Africa

1950, Burma
Myanmar
VOCABULARY
TEST
 1. It refers to the
building blocks of rocks
2. plants and animals
preserved in rock from
the geologic past
3. the way light reflects off
a mineral
4. the mixture of two or
more minerals
5. the color of a mineral’s
powder
6. A property that tells how
one mineral is able or unable
to scratch another mineral
7. a person who cuts, polishes,
and carves precious stones
8. Softest mineral
 9. A property which is
considered the least reliable
means of identifying minerals
10. The extent by which light
can pass through the
mineral.
VIDEO