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Understanding Minerals - Properties, Composition, and Identification

Learn about the characteristics of minerals, including their physical properties, chemical composition, and how to identify them. This article explores concepts such as color, streak, luster, cleavage, fracture, and hardness.

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Understanding Minerals - Properties, Composition, and Identification

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  1. Minerals

  2. Key Concept #1 What is a mineral? inorganic naturally occurring A mineral is a definite chemical composition substance which has a What would be the opposite of this? man-made organic random composition ESRT Mineral Chart Click Here

  3. Key Concept #2 The reason why minerals have different physical properties is due to their internal arrangement of atoms

  4. Key Concept #2 An example of two minerals which have the same chemical composition but different physical properties is Click Here graphite & diamond

  5. Key Concept #3 The Main Physical Properties Used to Identify Minerals A. Color 1. a poor indicator a. minerals can be multiple colors b. many minerals are the same color

  6. One Mineral, Many Colors

  7. Different Minerals Same Color

  8. Key Concept #3 The Main Physical Properties Used to Identify Minerals B. Streak the powder form of a mineral more reliable than color

  9. Key Concept #3 The Main Physical Properties Used to Identify Minerals C. Luster how light reflects off a mineral a. metallic b. non-metallic -looks like a metal -Leaves a dark (black, grey, green or brown) streak on a white streak plate -looks earthy, waxy, greasy or brilliant -leaves white or no streak on a black streak plate

  10. Key Concept #3 The Main Physical Properties Used to Identify Minerals D. Cleavage -mineral breaks in a predictable pattern because of its arrangement of atoms -At least one distinct flat side when broken

  11. Examples of Cleavage

  12. Examples of Cleavage

  13. Examples of Cleavage

  14. Examples of Cleavage

  15. Examples of Cleavage

  16. Examples of Cleavage

  17. Examples of Cleavage

  18. Key Concept #3 The Main Physical Properties Used to Identify Minerals E. Fracture -the mineral breaks randomly -Irregular sides

  19. Key Concept #3 The Main Physical Properties Used to Identify Minerals F. Hardness 1. resistance to being scratched- something softer than a material cannot scratch the harder material 2. It is NOT the same as breaking! For example: You can break glass easily with steel. However, steel will not scratch glass.

  20. Key Concept #3 The Main Physical Properties Used to Identify Minerals Hardness MOH’S SCALE OF HARDNESS TALC ORTHOCLASE GYPSUM QUARTZ CALCITE TOPAZ FLUORITE CORUNDUM APATITE DIAMOND

  21. Key Concept #4 Minerals have a definite chemical composition. The two elements by mass that make up the greatest percentage of the Earth’s crust are oxygen silicon

  22. Key Concept #4 Minerals have a definite chemical composition. These two elements combine to form compounds called silicates (SiO4)

  23. Key Concept #4 Minerals have a definite chemical composition. They combine in a specific structure called a: silicon-oxygen tetrahedra

  24. REVIEW- WHAT IS A MINERAL? • A mineral is naturally occurring, inorganic, and crystalline solid having a definite chemical composition • Each mineral has its own distinctive crystal structure that can lead to a very accurate ID • All minerals are solids that are composed of one or more chemical elements

  25. All minerals are rocks, but not all rocks are minerals nor are they all composed of minerals- the main reason: rocks can be organic like coal • Minerals form as the result of inorganic crystallization or by the re-crystallization of atoms in various rock-forming environments

  26. Minerals can be identified by color, streak, luster, hardness, density, cleavage, crystal structure and other characteristics (ex. magnetism, response to hydrochloric acid, etc)

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