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Minerals

Minerals. Properties of Minerals. What is a Mineral?. A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and definite chemical composition. Minerals must have the following 5 characteristics. Naturally Occurring Inorganic Solid Crystal Structure

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Minerals

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  1. Minerals Properties of Minerals

  2. What is a Mineral? • A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and definite chemical composition. • Minerals must have the following 5 characteristics. • Naturally Occurring • Inorganic • Solid • Crystal Structure • Definite Chemical Composition

  3. Naturally Occurring • The mineral must be formed by processes in the natural world. • Quartz forms from cooled molten lava and therefore is a naturally occurring mineral. • Brick and glass are made in factories and therefore are not naturally occurring.

  4. Inorganic • Minerals cannot be formed from materials that were once part of a living thing. • Coal is an example of an organic substance. It comes from fossilized plant and animal remains.

  5. Solid • Minerals are always solid, with a definite volume and shape. • The particles that make up solids are packed tightly together, so they cannot move like the particles that make up liquid.

  6. Crystal Structure • The particles of a mineral line up in a pattern that repeats over and over again. • The repeating pattern of a mineral’s particles forms a solid called a crystal. • A crystal has flat sides, called faces, that meet at sharp edges and corners.

  7. Definite Chemical Composition • Minerals are made up of certain types of elements and these elements are in definite proportions. • Almost all mineralsare compounds, meaning they are made of 2 or more elements. • There are a few minerals that are made purely from 1 elements. • Ex. Gold, Copper, and Silver=>

  8. Identifying Minerals • Geologists have discovered about 3,800 minerals. • Each mineral has characteristic properties that can be used to identify it. • Some examples of characteristics are color, streak, luster, density, hardness, crystal systems, and cleavage and fracture.

  9. Color • Geologists use color to filter down the amount of possible minerals it could be. • Only a few minerals can be determined based purely on color. • Azurite= blue Malachite= green

  10. Streak • A streak is the color of the powder that is produced by rubbing a mineral against a piece of unglazed porcelain tile. • Ex. Pyrite has a gold color, but its streak is greenish black.

  11. Luster • Luster is the term used to describe how light is reflected from a mineral’s surface. • Some of the terms used to describe luster are: Metallic luster, earthy, waxy, and pearly.

  12. Density • Density is the amount of mass in a given space. • Two objects are the same size. One is heavier than the other. That is because the heavier one is denser. • Density= Mass/Volume • D=20g/20ml D=1g/ml

  13. Hardness • Friedrich Mohs created a scale to determine hardness of rocks. • Mohs hardness scale consists of 10 minerals from softest to hardest. • You scratch the unknown mineral with the known minerals to determine where it falls in the scale.

  14. Crystal Systems • The way minerals grow can differ. • Some minerals grow into one of 7 crystal systems. • The groups differ by the number of faces and angles.

  15. Cleavage and Fracture • A mineral that splits easily along flat surfaces has the property called cleavage. • A mineral that breaks apart in an irregular way has the property called fracture. • The arrangement of the atoms cause minerals to break apart in certain ways. The way it cracks can help determine the mineral.

  16. Special Properties • Magnetism: some minerals are magnetic. • Fluorescence: some minerals glow under UV light. • Radioactivity: some minerals give off radiation.

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