Minerals

A. What is a mineral?
Mineral Characteristics
shared by all minerals:
 1. Natural
What is a mineral?

 1. Natural
 2. Inorganic
What is a mineral?
 1. Natural
 2. Inorganic
 3. Crystalline
 What is a mineral?
 1. Natural
 2. Inorganic
 3. Crystalline
 4. Definite chemical
composition
SiO2 is Quartz
 What is a mineral?
 1. Natural
 2. Inorganic
 3. Crystalline
 4. Definite chemical composition
 5. Solid
How will we remember this?
 Natural
 Inorganic
 Crystalline
 Definite chemical composition
 Solid
Mineral Characteristics shared
by all minerals:

Now I Can Define mineralS!

 Natural
 Inorganic
 Crystalline
 Definite chemical composition
 Solid
B. Physical Properties of Minerals
 1. Color
– Not very reliable because lots of minerals
can occur in many different colors
 Quartz

 Purple Amethyst
 •Clear
Fluorite •Blue
•Green
•Purple
Physical Properties of Minerals
 1. Color
 2. Streak
– The TRUE color of a mineral
– Color of a mineral’s powder
Streak

Minerals with a hardness greater than “7” usually

don’t create a streak on the streak plate because
they are harder than the Porcelain tile (unless the
streak plate is specially made).
 Physical Properties of Minerals
 1. Color
 2. Streak
 3. Hardness
– A mineral’s resistance to being scratched
– Mohs Hardness Scale from 1-10
 Mohs Hardness Scale
1 Talc Softest
2 Gypsum
3 Calcite
4 Fluorite
5 Apatite
6 Potassium feldspar
7 Quartz
8 Topaz
9 Corundum
10 Diamond Hardest
 Physical Properties of Minerals
 1. Color
 2. Streak
 3. Hardness
 4. Cleavage
“Cleave” = to split

Cleaver
Physical Properties of Minerals

 1. Color
 2. Streak
 3. Hardness
 4. Cleavage
 5. Fracture
Fracture
Physical Properties of Minerals
 1. Color
 2. Streak
 3. Hardness
 4. Cleavage
 5. Fracture
 6. Luster
– Metallic or Nonmetallic
Luster
 Metallic  Nonmetallic
uster Description Examples
Metallic  Minerals that exhibit a metallic luster are opaque and gold, silver, hematite,
reflective, like a metal. Metal elements, most sulfides, and pyrite
some oxides belong in this category.
Submetallic For a mineral to fall in this category, it must be opaque to Rutile, Hornblende
nearly opaque and reflect well. Thin splinters of
submetallic minerals are translucent
Vitreous This luster accounts for about 65 percent of minerals. Quartz
Vitreous luster has reflective properties similar to glass.
Most of the silicates, carbonates, phosphates, sulfates,
halides, and hydroxides have a vitreous luster.
Adamantine Transparent or translucent minerals with a very high Diamond
refractive index, which means they give off a brilliance or
shine.
Resinous This describe the luster of many yellow, dark orange, or Sphalerite
brown minerals with slightly high refractive indexes --
honey like, but not necessarily the same color.
Silky Minerals with a silky luster are the result of the mineral Serpentine
having a very fine fibrous structure. The mineral displays
similar optical properties to silk cloth
Pearly A play of colors, like that of oil slick on water. Pearly luster Labradorite
is usually the result of many partly formed cleavage
cracks parallel and below the reflecting surface of a
mineral.
Greasy If a mineral appears as if coated with grease, it is said to Talc, Graphite
have a greasy luster.
Waxy Mineral appears coated with wax Turquoise,
Chrysoprase
Earthy, Dull Minerals which exhibit very poor luster. Most of these goethite
Physical Properties of Minerals:
Used for Identification (I.D.)
 Color
 Streak
 Hardness
 Cleavage
 Fracture
 Luster
 Odor
 Specific Gravity
 Crystal Form/ Habit
C. Special Properties
 1. Magnetism
– Attracted to a
magnet
– Contains IRON,
cobalt, or nickel
Special Properties
 1. Magnetism
 2. Double refraction
– Looking through it, you see “double”
– Ex. Calcite
 Special Properties
 1. Magnetism
 2. Double refraction
 3. Fluorescence
– Glows under ultraviolet (UV) light
Fluorescence
under ultraviolet,
UV light
 Special Properties
 1. Magnetism
 2. Double refraction
 3. Fluorescence
 4. Phosphorescence
– Continues to glow even after the
UV light has been removed
Special Properties
 1. Magnetism
 2. Double refraction
 3. Fluorescence
 4. Phosphorescence
 5. Piezoelectric
– Electricity is generated from Pressure
– Example: Quartz
Piezoelectric (Pressure=Electricity)
Special Properties

 Magnetism
 Double refraction
 Fluorescence
 Phosphorescence
 Piezoelectric
 The abundance and variety of minerals
are controlled by their chemistry, which
is dependent on elemental abundances
on Earth.
 Most of the common rock-forming
minerals are silicate minerals.
Chemical Composition

 First used in 1848 by JAMES DWIGHT

DANA
EVALUATION:
1. What are the characteristics that define a mineral?
2. Which among the following mineral groups, if any,
contain silicon: halides, carbonates or sulfides?
Explain.
3. Which is more abundant in the Earth’s crust:
silicates or all the other mineral groups combined?
Explain
4. What is the difference between a mineral's streak
and color? Why is streak more reliable for rock
identification?