UNIT 2

Earth's Materials
and Resources
Prepared by: Ms. Jessica May B. Dime
Learning Objectives:
• Identify common rock-forming minerals
using their physical and chemical
characteristics.
• Classify rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and
metamorphic rocks
• Discuss the rock cycle
• Identify minerals that is important to society.
Rocks
vs.
Minerals
Minerals and Rocks
Rocks are made up of substances
called minerals. Any naturally
occurring solid substance with a
definite chemical composition is
called a mineral.
What's in a
Rock?
Here are
some
predictions
Rocks Elements found naturally in their
uncombined form are also minerals.
01 These elements include carbon and gold
which is commonly found in diamonds.

Most minerals in rocks are compounds

02 with one or more metal elements

together with the elements oxygen and
silicon.

The colors, shapes, and textures of the

03 minerals in rocks tell us what they are

made of and how they were formed, as
well as providing clues about the past.
Cool Properties

01
The atoms that join
together to form
minerals make up
regular geometric
shapes in particles
called crystals
Cool Properties
02
Many different minerals
have similar colors.
Some minerals, even
though they have the
same chemical
composition, they can
have different colors.
Cool Properties
03
The luster of a mineral
describes the way that it
reflects light. Minerals
could be described for
example, as dull, pearly,
waxy, silky, metallic,
glassy or brilliant.
Cool Properties

04
The streak is the
colored powder left by a
mineral when it is
scraped across a hard
surface like an unglazed
white ceramic tile.
Cool Properties
05
The hardness of a
mineral can be
determined by trying to
scratch one mineral with
another. It can be
measured using
Friedrich Mohs' scale of
hardness.
 'Fiery' Rocks
Lava is released from erupting volcanoes at high
temperatures. With that temperature, it could take
weeks for the lava to cool down to become solid rock.

However, lava surging violently into air from explosive volcanoes cools
much faster. Moreover, the lava erupting from underwater volcanoes on the
ocean floor also cools quickly.
2 Types of
Igneous Rocks

• Extrusive Igneous Rocks

• Intrusive Igneous Rocks
Extrusive Igneous Rocks
Extrusive igneous rocks are formed from
lava that cools and solidifies at or near the
Earth's surface.

The appearance of all extrusive igneous

rocks depends on two major factors:

• How rapidly the lava or magma cools

• The substances it contains
 Some violent volcanic eruptions

Frothy shoot out lava filled with gases.

The lava cools quickly, while it
Rocks is still in the air, and traps the
gases inside. Rocks that form
this way are full of holes.
Pumice
Pumice is palecolor rock. It is very light
because it is full of hles. Pumice floats on
water and sometimes washes up on
beaches. Powdered pumice is used in
some abrasive cleaning products.
Scoria
Scoria is heavier than pumice, and darker
because it contains more iron. It is usually
found closer to the volcano's crater than
pumice. Scoria is a reddishbrown or grey
rock that can be used in garden paths or as
a drainage material around pipes.
Basalt
- is an extrusive rock that can take on many
appearances. One big difference between
samples of basalt is the size of the crystals
that make up the rock.
Obsidian
- is a smooth, black rock that looks like
glass. It is formed when lava cools almost
instantly. This rock is different from basalt
because it cooled so quickly that no
crystals formed.
Intrusive Igneous Rocks
Intrusive igneous rocks are formed from
magma that cools and solidifies deep
beneath the earth's surface. The insulating
effect of the surrounding rock allows the
magma to solidify very slowly.

Slow cooling means the individual mineral

grains have a long time t grow, so they grow
to a relatively large size.

Intrusive rocks have a characteristically

coarse grain size. Large bodies of intrusive
rock are called batholiths.
Granite
- is a common intrusive rock. The crystals
in granite form over long periods of time
and grow large enough to be easy to see
with the naked eye. Granite is very hard
and can be used for building.
Sedimentary
Rocks
Rocks that are formed the particle of sediments
are called sedimentary rocks.

Sediments are deposited when weathered rock

is moved from one place to another by the win,
During floods when rivers break their banks,
running water, the sea, or glaciers, through the
sediments are deposited on flat, open land
process called erosion.
beside the river. These plains are called
floodplains.
Types of
Sedimentary Rocks
• Conglomerate contains grains of different sizes that have been cemented together.
• Sandstone is formed from grains of sand that have been cemented together over a
period of time.
• Mudstone and shale are formed from finer grains of sediment deposited by calm water
in the form of mud.
• Siltstone has grains slightly larger than those of mudstone.
Types of Sedimentary Rocks
 Rocks from Living
things
- Limestone is sedimentary rock that is
formed from deposits of the remains of sea
organisms such shellfish and corals.
 Rocks from Living
things
- Coal is formed from the remains of dead
pants that are buried by other sediments.
Classifying Sedimentary Rocks
Clastic Sedimentary rocks - may
have particles ranging in size from
microscopic clay to huge boulders.
Their names are based on grain size. Chemical Sedimentary rocks - are
formed by chemical precipitation.

Biologic Sedimentary rocks - form

from once-living organisms. They may
form from accumulated carbon-rich
plant material or from deposits of
animal shells.
Metamorphic
Rocks
Igneous and sedimentary rocks deep below the
Earth's surface are buried under the huge
weight of the rocks, sediments, and soil above
them. They are also subjected to high
temperatures. This heat and pressure can
change the composition and appearance of the
minerals.
This process of change is called metamorphism
and the rocks that are formed by these changes
are called metamorphic rocks.
Slate
- Shale is a common type of sedimentary
rock. It has fine grains and crumble easily
along its layers. when shale is exposed to
moderate heat and pressure, it forms slate.
Rock Cycle
 Mineral Resources
Mineral resources are essential to our
modern industrial society and they are
used everywhere.
Mining is a complex process in which valuable or
useful materials are removed from large masses of
rock.
Surface mines - include open-pit mines, strip
mines, and placer mines.
Underground mines - are used when relatively
high-grade ore is too deep for surface mining,
involving a network of tunnels to access and
extract the ore.
Mineral Resources
Environmental
Issues
• Groundwater and surface water contamination
• Collapse and unfilled tunnels
• Destruction of landscapes via strip or pit mining.
• Pollution from smelting. Smelters without pollution controls have been known to
kill nearly every tree within a 10 mile radius.
• Energy intensive – 5-10% of world energy use goes toward mining and refining
mineral resources.
Sustainable Solutions
The general approach towards mineral sustainability should include mineral
conservation at the top of the list. We also need to maximize exploration for new
mineral resources while at the same time minimize the environmental impact of
mineral mining and processing.
 Conservation of mineral resources includes improved efficiency, substitution, and
the 3R’s of sustainability, reduce, reuse, and recycle.
 We also need to strengthen the law that encompasses for protecting a country
that has illegal mining activities which is currently happening in the Philippines.