



EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE

Lesson 4: What Makes Up

the Crust of the Earth?

 Minerals and Rocks

The building blocks of making rocks are the
various solid formation called minerals that
exist naturally on planet earth.

There are 3,000 name minerals but there are

only 150 minerals considered to be important in
terms of abundance or aesthetic value.
 Minerals

Minerals are
composed of
elements such as
those found in the
periodic table.
Each mineral is
unique.
 Minerals
 Are naturally occurring
substances that build up the
Earth’s crust. There are many
types of minerals, but they all
have some characteristics
common to each other.

 These characteristics include the

following:
http://www.geologyin.com/2018/03/formation-of-minerals-where-
do-minerals.html
1. Minerals are crystalline solids.
2. Minerals are made of chemical elements and compounds.
3. Minerals have known chemical compositions.
4. Minerals are inorganic in nature.
How it is extract?


It is derived or extracted
from nature through the
process
of mining. They are
generally made of higher
form of elements, like iron,
magnesium, chromium, and
silicon.
If the minerals do not have
definite shapeor crystallinity.
These amorphous minerals are
classified as mineraloids.
 Examples of Minerals
1. Hematite -hinges, handles, mattress spring,
make- color 
2. Chromite -Chrome Plating, dyes
3. Copper Quartz - Electrical wiring
4. Quartz -clock, mirrors
5. Gold -jewelries, plating, coating
6. Borax -abrasive, cleaner, antiseptic
7. Feldspar -porcelain, ceramics
8. Fluorite -toothpaste
9. Sphalerite -dyes
 Examples of Minerals
1. Hematite -hinges, handles, mattress spring,
make- color 

2. Chromite -Chrome Plating, dyes

 Examples of Minerals
3. Copper Quartz - Electrical wiring


4. Quartz -clock, mirrors

 Examples of Minerals
5. Gold -jewelries, plating, coating


6. Borax -abrasive, cleaner, antiseptic

 Examples of Minerals
7. Feldspar -porcelain, ceramics


8. Fluorite -toothpaste

9. Sphalerite -dyes
 Classification of
minerals

Minerals can be classified based on their
chemical composition and physical properties.

Silicates
Non silicates
Metallic
Non metallic
Gem
 Silicate Minerals
 silicon
are those that contain
and oxygen.

 They are further classified

into mafic silicates and
felsic silicates.

 Mafic Silicates generally

contain iron (Fe) or
magnesium (Mg) and are
dark in color.
https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/classificati
on-silicates-minerals
 Non Silicate Minerals

 Felsic Silicates contain
potassium (K) o sodium (Na)
and aluminum (Al) and are light
in color.

 Non silicate minerals are those

that do not contain silicon.

 The most common groups of
nonsilicate minerals are
carbonates, halides, and sulfates.
 Metallic
Minerals
 Are those that are made up 
of heavy metallic elements.

• Iron, gold, silver,

chromium, nickel
 Non Metallic
Minerals

• Lack the properties of the metallic minerals, such as
bright metallic luster, hardness, density, and good
conduction of heat and electricity.
• Calcite, quartz, talc, and gypsum
Gem Minerals


 are those that possess unique bright colors and
commonly used for jewelry.
 Identification of
Minerals

Minerals can be distinguished using their physical
and chemical properties.

 Geologists preferably use the physical properties to

identify newly discovered minerals.

These physical properties include habit, luster,

cleavage, hardness, color, and streak.
 1. Habit

Refers to the overall shape or growth pattern of the
mineral.

Scientist use “equant “,” elongate” and “platy” to

describe the habit of minerals.

A. Equant – three dimensions of the mineral have

about the same length, like that of a cube or sphere.
 

http://www.geologyin.com/2018/03/garnet-group-col
ors-and-varieties-of.html
 1. Habit

B. Elongate – Minerals form
prismatic or prim-like crystals
that are thicker than needles
as in a pencil.

https://www.mineratminerals.com/archive/blue-indicolit
e-tourmaline-crystal,-nuristan,-afghanistan-detail

 C. Platy – the minerals looks like

a flattened and thin crystal (like
plates).
https://www.minerals.net/mineral/wulfenite.aspx
 2. Luster
 Refers to the quantity

and quality of light
reflected from the
exterior surface of
the mineral.

 The luster of minerals

can be described as
opaque, transparent,
dull or shiny.

http://www.geologyin.com/2014/03/luster-of-minerals.html
 3. Cleavage

 Refers to the tendency of a mineral to break along
very smooth, flat, and shiny surface.

 The breakage happens parallel to zones of weak

bonding in the crystal structure of mineral.

https://geology.com/minerals/gypsum.shtml
 4. Hardness

 is a measure of the mineral’s resistance to scratching.

 Harder minerals will scratch softer, minerals.

 Geologists rank minerals according to hardness using the

Mohs’ scale of hardness.

 The scale was created by German mineralogist Friedrich

Mohs in 182.
Mohs Scale


5

 5. Color

 varies in many minerals making it very unreliable to set as a
standard for identification.

 Some minerals come in just one color, while others come in

many colors and varieties.

6. Streak
 Refers to color of mark or powder left by rubbing the mineral against a streak
plate.

 is more reliable property than color as streak shows true color of minerals.

 On ½ sheet of paper answer the following
questions


1. How are Earth’s subsystems interrelating
with one another?
2. Define Mineral.
3. How Minerals affects the livelihood of a
community ?