UNIT 6: MINERALS

After Unit 6 you should be able to:

o Understand how mineral crystals acquire their shape

o Understand the characteristics that define a sample as a mineral
o Understand that many minerals are composed of similar elements
o Understand the connections between minerals and rocks and that
many rocks contain similar minerals
o Utilize the ESRT to determine human uses of common minerals
o Understand and be able to perform common mineral identification
tests such as:
o Color
o Streak
o Breakage (cleavage or fracture)
o Hardness (Mohs Scale)
o Acid test
o Magnetism test
o Luster
o Density
 Unit 6 vocabulary you should be able to use and understand:
o Element o Hardness o Scratch
o Atom o Mohs Scale o Impurities
o Chemical Composition o Luster o Oxidation
o Mineral o Metallic o Angular
o Rock o Non-metallic o Physical properties
o Organic o Streak o Chemical properties
o Inorganic o Powdered
o Orderly arrangement o Crushed
o Solidification o Breakage
o Lava o Cleavage
o Magma o Fracture
o Igneous o Density
o Precipitate o Mass
o Evaporate o Volume
o Sedimentary o Acid
o Metamorphic o Reaction
o Crystallize o Magnetic
o Crystal o Abrasive
o Appearance o Lubricant
Atoms and Minerals

 All matter is made up of atoms

 Each atom has particles within it that make it

a specific element such as gold or calcium

 Atoms bond together to create molecules

 Enough of specific molecules bonded together

form a mineral

 Some minerals contain impurities (other

molecules or elements) that change their
properties such as color
5 Fundamental Mineral Characteristics

 Definite chemical composition

 Orderly arrangement of atoms
 Naturally occurring
 Inorganic
 Solid
What is a mineral?

 Minerals have a definite chemical

composition unique to that
mineral

 Many times the chemical properties

a mineral possesses determines
what humans use that mineral for

 For example, the mineral gibbsite

(Al(OH)3) can be processed to
release the aluminum atoms within
it to be used in manufacturing
Mineral Composition and
Uses

 Use your ESRT page 16

Definite Chemical Composition

 The same elements will make up the same

minerals but impurities/oxidation may at
times change their color

 For example, table salt, or halite, is always

NaCl…composed of a combination of sodium
(Na) and chlorine (Cl) atoms
Other Mineral Uses

 Jewelry
 Electronics
 Abrasives
 Lubricants
 A source of metal (ore)/other useful
elements
What are minerals made up of?

 Minerals are composed of 1 or more

elements

 Certain elements contribute color to

minerals (such as these quartz
samples), but color alone is not a
definite way of identifying them

 Many minerals contain the same

elements

 Use your ESRT to identify the

elements after you have determined
the mineral
Common Mineral Uses

 Use your ESRT page 16

Orderly Arrangement of Atoms

 Atoms are arranged in an orderly fashion so

that a crystal forms

 This arrangement defines a mineral’s

physical properties such as crystal shape,
hardness, or cleavage

 For example: halite crystals and the atoms

that produce them
Atomic Arrangement and Breakage

 The bonds between atoms (internal atomic

arrangement) in a given mineral determine
how the mineral breaks
 Even, angular breakage is known as
cleavage
 Uneven, rough breakage is known as
fracture
 The cleavage of the mineral graphite allows it
to slide off in sheets when pressure is applied,
thus making it ideal as a material in pencil
lead.
Naturally Occurring/Inorganic Solid

 Was not produced by life processes or

humans

 Is not a liquid or a gas

How do minerals form?

 Minerals crystals form due to one

of several rock-forming processes
found in the rock cycle
 Cooling and solidification of
magma/lava
 Precipitating out of a solution
 Evaporation, leaving the
minerals behind
 Undergoing heat and/or
pressure to form new minerals
Rocks are made up of 1 or more minerals

 This granite has several minerals

within it
 Identifying minerals can be difficult,
however many minerals can be identified
with a combination of simple tests.

Mineral Identification: Appearance (color)

 Color and appearance can help identify

Pyrite some minerals, but it is usually not
enough

 Many minerals have multiple colors

or have the same color as other
minerals

 Crystal shape can also help identify a

mineral
Gold
Common Colors

 Use your ESRT page 16

Mineral Identification: Hardness

 Hardness is a measure of how easily a

mineral can be scratched

 Hard minerals are able to scratch

glass while soft minerals do not

 Talc is a very soft mineral and can be

scratched by a fingernail

 Diamonds are the hardest naturally

occurring material and can only be
scratched by another diamond
Mineral Identification: Mohs Scale

 The Mohs Scale uses a number to

describe a mineral’s hardness

 A diamond is a ’10’ since it is the

hardest mineral

 Talc, being one of the softest, is

assigned a ‘1’

 Lower numbers  more easily

scratched
Hardness Values of Common
Minerals

 Use your ESRT page 16

Mineral Identification: Luster

 The luster of a mineral describes how

a sample reflects light

 Metallic luster is when a mineral

appears to be made of metal

 Non-metallic luster can be a variety of

other colors including minerals that
look like glass
Luster of Common Minerals

 Use your ESRT page 16

Mineral Identification: Streak

 The streak of a mineral is the powder

left behind when a mineral is crushed
or is rubbed against an unglazed
porcelain tile
Streak

 Use your ESRT page 16

Mineral Identification: Cleavage and
Fracture

 Cleavage and fracture describe how a

mineral breaks caused by the internal
arrangement of atoms

 Cleavage is a mineral breaking along

a flat plane

 Fracture is uneven and random

breaking
Breakage of Common
Minerals

 Use your ESRT page 16

Mineral Identification: Density

 Determining a mineral’s density

sometimes help determine what it is

 Recall: Density = mass/volume

Mineral Identification: Reaction with
Acid/Magnetic

 Some minerals bubble when acid is

dropped onto them

 Other minerals are magnetic

Other Distinguishing
Characteristics

 Use your ESRT page 16