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Mineralogy
the scientific study of the
MINERALS chemistry, crystal structure,

and R O C K S and physical (including

optical) properties of
minerals and mineralized
artifacts

What is a mineral?

NIHDO

Naturally-occurring
Inorganic
Mineraloid
Homogeneous solid naturally occurring,
inorganic solid that does
Definite Chemical Composition not exhibit crystallinity.
Organized Crystalline Structure

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Naturally-occurring Inorganic
They do not consist
Minerals are
of or deriving from
not man-made.
living matter.

Homogeneous Solid

Carbon Be3Al2(SiO3)6

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Definite Chemical Composition
it has the same chemical
composition that can be
expressed by a chemical
formula
Halite is a mineral with Halite
a chemical formula of
NaCl. This mineral,
along others, has a
consistent composition
and crystal structure
(cubic).
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Organized Internal Structure
atoms are arranged within the
mineral in a specific ordered
manner
How do minerals form?
1. crystallization of magma
(cools inside the crust) or
lava (cools & hardens on the
surface)
2. crystallization of materials
dissolved in water
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COLOR
the property possessed by
an object of producing
Mineral different sensations on the
Properties eye as a result of the way the
object reflects or emits light.

STREAK
 Color of a mineral in
powdered form
 Inherent to almost every
mineral
Hematite
 A better diagnostic
property than color

HARDNESS
Measure of how easily a
mineral can be scratched

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PROS
Easy to do
Can be done anywhere as
long as the place is not dark
Highly relevant for field
CONS
The scale is qualitative LUSTER
Cannot be used to test
accurate hardness of
Quality and intensity of
industrial materials
reflected light exhibited Bauxite

geologists to roughly define

minerals using scratch kits by the mineral
Hematite

Handy; can be done without

few or no kits

Quartz Amber
Metallic - mineral is opaque and reflects Satin spar

light as a metal would Hematite

Vitreous / Glassy Adamantine Resinous Silky

Non-metallic – vitreous/glassy, Muscovite Bauxite

adamantine, resinous, silky, pearly,

dull/earthy, etc.
Pearly Dull / Earthy

Botryoidal
Crystal Form or Habit Globular or Mammillary
external shape of an individual
crystal or crystal group crystal aggregates
that have a globular
or rounded shape.
Agate

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Banded Acicular
minerals have have a needle-like
narrow layers or shape that tapers to a
bands of different point or a blunt
color and/or texture termination
Rhodochrosite Natrolite

Striated Dendritic
Striations are fine, crystals form a branching
pattern, much like the
slightly indented lines
branches of a tree, the veins in
that are present on the a leaf, or the branching
faces of some crystals. pattern of streams in a
Euclase drainage basin Copper

Cubic Prismatic
minerals that form in
elongated crystals with
Cubes have six square faces opposite faces normally
and four-fold rotational parallel to one another
symmetry around three
axes. striated along their length or
Pyrite across their width Tourmaline

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Cleavage and Fracture Transparency

Cleavage – tendency of a
mineral to break along a plane
Fracture – breaking of
minerals resulting in rough or
jagged edges
Diaphaneity is a mineral’s
degree of transparency or
ability to allow light to pass
through it. The degree of
transparency may also
depend on the thickness of
the mineral.

Magnetism Odor
Most minerals have no
Magnetism is the
odor unless they are acted
characteristic that allows
upon in one of the
a mineral to attract or
following ways:
repel other magnetic
moistened, heated,
materials
Magnetite breathed upon, or rubbed. Pyrite

Taste Specific Gravity

Only soluble minerals Specific Gravity of a mineral is a
have a taste, but it is very
comparison or ratio of the weight of
important that minerals
not be placed in the
the mineral to the weight of an equal
mouth or on the tongue. amount of water
Halite

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Density Effervescence
mass of a substance per unit volume
Carbonate minerals such as calcite
tend to fizz or effervesce when
tested with HCl. Non-
carbonate minerals, especially
silicates will not react to HCl.

Minerals are categorized into groups Element

Element + Element + Element + Element + Element + Element +
SiO4 O2 SO4 S2 CO3 Halogens
according to chemical composition.
Native Silicate Oxide Sulfate Sulfide Carbonate Halide

Gold Quartz Hematite Gypsum Pyrite Calcite Chlorine

Bismuth Olivine Magnetite Barite Galena Dolomite Fluorine

Diamond Talc Chromite Anhydrite Bornite Malachite Halite

A solid aggregate of one or more minerals

ROCKS or mineraloids.

Has three major categories:

\m/ Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic

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Igneous Rocks
Igneous rocks form from the
solidification of molten rock material.

Two major categories:

Intrusive/Plutonic
Extrusive/Volcanic

Intrusive Igneous Rocks Phaneritic Texture

From solidified magma from underneath
the surface of the Earth
Slow cooling forms large interlocking
Gradual lowering of temperature is crystals.
indicated by the movement of magma
from depth to surface causing slow
cooling/crystallization.

Extrusive Igneous Rocks

 From solidified lava at or near
the surface of the Earth

Granite Diorite Gabbro  Fast rate of cooling/crystallization

due to huge variance in the
temperature between the Earth’s
surface and underneath

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Porphyritic Texture Aphanitic Texture

fine-grained texture;
Magma partly cooled below the surface of the
Earth providing time for the large crystals to
minerals not visible to the naked eye;
grow (phenocrysts) before it is extruded to the
surface forming the fine-grained matrix
relatively fast rates of cooling/solidification
(groundmass).
prevent the formation of large crystals.

Vesicular Texture
voids created by rapid cooling which causes air
bubbles to be trapped inside
Rhyolite Andesite Basalt

Pyroclastic Rocks
Fragmental rocks usually associated with
violent or explosive type of eruption.

Pumice Tuff Ignimbrite

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Sedimentary Rocks Sedimentary

Sedimentary rocks form at or near Rocks
the surface of the Earth. Two types:
clastic and
Sedimentary processes include non-clastic
weathering, erosion, sediment
transport and deposition (compaction
and cementation).

Stratification Fossil Assemblage

The layering that occurs in
A group of associated fossils found in a
most sedimentary rocks and in given stratum
those igneous rocks formed at
the Earth’s surface, as from
lava flows and volcanic
fragmental deposits

NON- CLASTIC
CLASTIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
• Composed of grains, matrix and cement • Evaporation and precipitation or
• Clastic rocks are commonly classified lithification of organic matter
based on particle size. • Classified as evaporites (halite, gypsum),
precipitates (limestone) and bioclasts (coal,
coquina)

Shale Sandstone Conglomerate Breccia

Gypsum Limestone Coal Coquina

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Evaporites – rocks formed from evaporation of Metamorphic

water leaving the dissolved minerals to
crystallize Rocks
 Formed below the surface of the
Earth through process of
Precipitates – rocks formed when minerals
metamorphism with the
start to crystallize at the bottom of the mineral
recrystallization of minerals in
supersaturated water solution
rocks due to changes in pressure
and temperature conditions.
Bioclastic – rock formed from compacted
Two types: foliated and non-foliated
organic matter

Foliated Metamorphic
Rocks
 Foliation forms when pressure squeezes the
flat or elongate minerals within a rock so
they become aligned. Slate Phyllite Schist Gneiss

 These rocks develop a platy or sheet-like

structure that reflects the direction that
pressure was applied in.

Non-Foliated
Metamorphic Rocks
These types of metamorphic rocks do not have
a layered or banded appearance. Marble Hornfels Quartzite

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Describe how ore minerals are found,

mined, and processed for human use

Classify rocks as igneous, sedimentary,

or metamorphic rocks

THE ROCK CYCLE

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