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Introduction to Minerals The building blocks of rocks

Introduction to Minerals The building blocks of rocks. Definitions, Properties, Chemical characteristics. Definitions. Mineral Naturally occurring Can occur/be made naturally in the wild Inorganic Not made up of living things, or the remains of living things. Definitions.

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Introduction to Minerals The building blocks of rocks

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  1. Introduction to MineralsThe building blocks of rocks Definitions, Properties, Chemical characteristics

  2. Definitions • Mineral • Naturally occurring • Can occur/be made naturally in the wild • Inorganic • Not made up of living things, or the remains of living things

  3. Definitions • Crystalline Solid • Has a specific geometric arrangement of it’s atoms • Definite chemical composition • Quartz- SiO2

  4. Minerals • Over 3,000 minerals naturally in Earth’s crust. • 30 of these are common • 8-10 of these are known as the rock-forming minerals • Rock-forming minerals • Quartz, Feldspar, Mica, Pyroxene, Amphibole, Olivine, Garnet, Calcite

  5. Mineral Examples 1. Feldspar is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. There are several types of feldspar including: • Orthoclase feldspar • Microcline feldspar • Plagioclase feldspar (has striations - tiny parallel hairline grooves)

  6. Mineral Examples 2. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust 3. Other common rock-forming minerals include: • Muscovite mica • Biotite mica • Hornblende (part of the amphibole group of minerals) • Augite (part of the pyroxene group of minerals) • Olivine • Calcite is common in some sedimentary rocks

  7. Mineral Uses • Other minerals have economic value or may have industrial uses: • Diamond- jewelry • Native gold- monetary standard, jewelry • Native copper- electrical wiring • Barite (mined in Georgia)- pigments in paints, x-rays • Kaolinite (mined in Georgia)- paper production • Talc- baby powder • Gypsum –plaster, drywall • Corundum (ruby and sapphire)- jewelry • Pyrite- mined for other chemicals • Native sulfur- chemicals, distinct color, matches • Fluorite- toothpaste

  8. Is it a mineral?! • Based off of our definition of a mineral, come up with four questions we can use to identify if a substance is a mineral.

  9. Is it a mineral?! • 4 questions may be asked to find out if a substance is a mineral. • 1. Is the substance inorganic? • 2. Does the substance occur naturally? • 3. Does the substance have a solid crystalline form? • 4. Does the substance have a definite chemical composition?

  10. Physical Properties of Minerals 1. Color • not always reliable (feldspar, quartz, fluorite come in many colors) • Feldspar can be green, pink white, gray, etc.

  11. Physical Properties of Minerals 2. Luster- the appearance of light reflected from a minerals surface • Metallic-may be shiny • non-metallic-described by appearance glassy dull pearly waxy silky earthy

  12. Physical Properties of Minerals 3. Streak-the color of mineral in powdered form • unglazed porcelain platenote color, odor if any • Both of these samples are hematite; both have a reddish-brown streak

  13. Physical Properties of Minerals 4. Hardness-

  14. Physical Properties of Minerals 5. Cleavage • Breakage along planesRelated to crystal structure • 1 direction (muscovite, biotite)

  15. Physical Properties of Minerals • 2 directions at 90° (feldspar, pyroxene) Pyroxene2 directions not at 90° (amphibole at 60° and 120°)

  16. Physical Properties of Minerals • 3 directions at 90° (cubic) (halite, galena) • 3 directions not at 90° (rhombohedral) (calcite, dolomite)

  17. Physical Properties of Minerals • 4 directions (octahedral) (fluorite)

  18. Physical Properties of Minerals 6. Fracture • irregular breakage (no cleavage)breakage not along smooth planes • Conchoidal fracture smooth curved fracture surfacesoccurs in quartz, chert, obsidian, glass

  19. Physical Properties of Minerals 7. Crystal form • Some minerals that may or may not have cleavage GROW (not break) into crystals with flat sides. • Examples quartzpyrite

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