EARTH AND LIFE

SCIENCES

Learner’s Material

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Lesson 3:
COMMON
ROCK-FORMING
MINERALS

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Learning Outcome(s): At the end of this lesson, the leaner(s) shall be able to identify common rock-forming
minerals using their physical and chemical properties.

Lesson Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Mineral Properties
3. Mineral Groups

CONTENTS (BOOK)

INTRODUCTION

Mineral — a naturally occurring (not man-made or machine generated), inorganic (not a

byproduct of living things) solid with an orderly crystalline structure and a definite chemical
composition.

Minerals are the basic building blocks of rocks.

Examples of minerals used in our daily lives:

1. halite (salt) for cooking

2. graphite (pencil) for writing
3. diamond and gold as jewelry

Questions:

1. Do you consider water a mineral?

Answer: No. It is not solid and crystalline.

2. How about snowflake, or tube ice? Are these minerals?

Answer: Tube ice is not a mineral, because it is not naturally occurring. But a snowflake
possesses all the properties under the definition of a mineral.

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MINERAL PROPERTIES

1. Use table salt or halite to demonstrate the different mineral properties.

2. Tabulate the answers on the board using the template below.

There are several different mineral properties which must be identified and defined.

1. Luster – it is the quality and intensity of reflected light exhibited by the mineral
a. Metallic – generally opaque and exhibit a resplendent shine similar to a polished metal
b. Non-metallic – vitreous (glassy), adamantine (brilliant/diamond-like), resinous, silky,
pearly, dull (earthy), greasy, among others.

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2. Hardness – it is a measure of the resistance of a mineral (not specifically surface) to

abrasion.

a. Introduce students to the use of a hardness scale designed by German geologist/

mineralogist Friedrich Mohs in 1812 (Mohs Scale of Hardness).

b. The Mohs Scale of Hardness measures the scratch resistance of various minerals from a
scale of 1 to 10, based on the ability of a harder material/mineral to scratch a softer one.

c. Pros of the Mohs scale:

i. The test is easy.

ii. The test can be done anywhere, anytime, as long as there is sufficient light to see
scratches.

iii. The test is convenient for field geologists with scratch kits who want to make a
rough identification of minerals outside the lab.

d. Cons of the Mohs scale:

i. Scale is qualitative, not quantitative.

ii. The test cannot be used to accurately test the hardness of industrial materials.

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3. Crystal Form/Habit

The external shape of a crystal or groups of crystals is displayed / observed as these crystals
grow in open spaces. The form reflects the supposedly internal structure (of atoms and
ions) of the crystal (mineral). It is the natural shape of the mineral before the development of
any cleavage or fracture.

Examples include prismatic, tabular, bladed, platy, reniform and equant. A mineral that do
not have a crystal structure is described as amorphous.

4. Color and streak

a. A lot of minerals can exhibit same or similar colors. Individual minerals can also
display a variety of colors resulting from impurities and also from some geologic processes
like weathering.

b. Examples of coloring: quartz can be pink (rose quartz), purple (amethyst), orange
(citrine), white (colorless quartz) etc.

c. Streak, on the other hand, is the mineral’s color in powdered form. It is inherent in
almost every mineral, and is a more diagnostic property compared to color. Note that the
color of a mineral can be different from its streak.

d. Examples of streak: pyrite (FeS2) exhibits gold color but has a black or dark gray
streak.

e. The crystal’s form also defines the relative growth of the crystal in three dimensions,
which include the crystal’s length, width and height.

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Left picture: blocky/cubic or equant (it has equal growth rate in three dimensions). Middle picture:
bladed habit (it resembles a blade, with varied growth rates in 3 dimensions). Right picture: needle-
like habit (rapid growth of crystals in one dimension while slow in other dimensions).

5. Cleavage – the property of some minerals to break along specific planes of weakness to
form smooth, flat surfaces.

a. These planes exist because the bonding of atoms making up the mineral happens to be
weak in those areas.

b. When minerals break evenly in more than one direction, cleavage is described by the
number of cleavage directions, the angle(s) at which they meet, and the quality of cleavage
(e.g. cleavage in 2 directions at 90°).

c. Cleavage is different from habit; the two are distinct, unrelated properties. Although
both are dictated by crystal structure, a crystal habit form as the mineral is growing, relying
on how the individual atoms in the crystal come together. Cleavage, meanwhile, is the weak
plane that developed after the crystal is formed.

6. Specific Gravity – the ratio of the density of the mineral and the density of water

a. This parameter indicates how many times more the mineral weighs compared to an
equal amount of water (SG 1).

b. For example, a bucket of silver (SG 10) would weigh ten times more than a bucket of
water.

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7. Others – magnetism, odor, taste, tenacity, reaction to acid, etc. For example, magnetite is
strongly magnetic; sulfur has distinctive smell; halite is salty; calcite fizzes with acid as with
dolomite but in powdered form; etc.

MINERAL GROUPS

1. Do you think minerals can be grouped together, what is the basis for such groupings?

Most likely answer: on the basis of physical properties.

Response: Although physical properties are useful for mineral identification, some minerals
may exhibit a wide range of properties.

2. Minerals, like many other things, can also be categorized. The most stable and least
ambiguous basis for classification of minerals is based on their chemical compositions.

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The elements listed below comprise almost 99% of the minerals making up the Earth’s crust.

1. Silicates – minerals containing the two most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust,
namely, silicon and oxygen.

a. When linked together, these two elements form the silicon oxygen tetrahedron – the
fundamental building block of silicate minerals.

b. Over 90% of rock-forming minerals belong to this group.

2. Oxides – minerals composed of oxygen anion (O2-) combined with one or more metal
ions.

3. Sulfates – minerals containing sulfur and oxygen in the form of the (SO 4)- anion.

4. Sulfides – minerals containing sulfur and a metal; some sulfides are sources of
economically important metals such as copper, lead, and zinc.

5. Carbonates – minerals containing the carbonate (CO3)2 - anion combined with other
elements.

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6. Native Elements – minerals that form as individual elements.

a. Metals and Intermetals – minerals with high thermal and electrical conductivity,
typically with metallic luster, low hardness (gold, lead)

b. Semi-metals – minerals that are more fragile than metals and have lower conductivity
(arsenic, bismuth)

c. Nonmetals – nonconductive (sulfur,diamond)

7. Halides – minerals containing halogen elements combined with one or more metals.

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Note:

1. Rock-forming minerals make up large masses of rocks, such as igneous, sedimentary, or

metamorphic rocks. Rockforming minerals are essential for the classification of rocks,
whereas accessory minerals can be ignored in this endeavor.

2. Almost 85% of the atoms in the earth’s crust are oxygen and silicon. Therefore, the most
common and abundant rock-forming minerals are silicates. Some carbonates are also
abundant. The most common rockforming minerals are tabulated on the right.

SUMMARY (QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS)

1. What are the different characteristics that define a mineral?

Answer: inorganic, naturally occurring, crystalline, solid and must have a consistent
chemical composition.

2. Which among the following mineral groups, if any, contain silicon: halides,
carbonates or sulfides? Explain.

Answer: None. The identified mineral groups are nonsilicates.

3. Which is more abundant in the Earth’s crust: silicates or all the other mineral groups
combined? Explain.

Answer: Silicates. Silicon and oxygen are the main components of silicates and these are
the two most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust.

4. An unknown opaque mineral has a black streak and has a density of 18g/cm3. Is the
mineral metallic or non-metallic?

Answer: The mineral is more likely to be metallic because it is opaque and metallic
minerals are usually heavy and with dark streaks

5. How does streak differ from color, and why is it more reliable for rock identification?

Answer: Streak is the color of a mineral in powdered form. It is more reliable because it
is inherent to most minerals. Color is not reliable because a mineral can be formed with
varieties of color, an effect of impurities and weathering.

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6. Differentiate between habit and a cleavage plane.

Answer: Habit is the external shape of a crystal that is developed during the formation
of the mineral. A cleavage plane is a plane of weakness that may develop after the
crystal formation.

7. Is it possible for a mineral to have a prismatic habit without having any cleavage?
Why or why not? If yes, give an example.

Answer: Yes, the prismatic habit is simultaneously developed while the mineral is
growing. During the process, there is no repetitive plane of weakness being created
which makes the mineral break only by fracturing. An example of this scenario is
quartz.

8. Define “rock-forming mineral,” and give three examples.

Answer:
A rock-forming mineral is a mineral that is common and abundant in the Earth's
crust; one making up large masses of rock.

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SEATWORK / EXERCISE/ TASK SHEET/ QUIZ

PRACTICE:
HOW TO IDENTIFY MINERALS

The Mineral Decision Tree is a visual guide in explaining the methods used by
geologists to identify minerals.

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1. Try to identify the minerals above:

1. Asbestos
2. Olivine
3. Orpiment
4. Gypsum

2. Use the diagram below to narrow down the mineral choices into groups A to
F. Then refer to the provided mineral chart for the list of possible minerals.

3. Test the other properties provided in the chart to identify the mineral.

ENRICHMENT:

List five minerals and their common uses. Identify the specific property/properties that make
the mineral suitable for those uses. For example, graphite, having a black streak and hardness
of 1-2, is used in pencils due to its ability to leave marks on paper and other objects.

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MEDIA SCRIPT

Text/Image/Video Video
00:00 Video #1
Hi, everyone in this video. We're going
to be talking about Minerals, so let's A Brief Introduction to Minerals
get started
00:06
What are minerals anyway well in the
simplest sense of the term minerals are
the building blocks of rocks?
00:14
Here's a rock. This is a piece of the
igneous rock called granite if you look
carefully at this chunk of granite
00:21
You'll see all sorts of speckles of Gray
and white and black and if you [zoom] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a7p1NFn64s
in
00:26
You'll see that these are [actually]
crystals mineral crystals this particular
piece [of] granite has the mineral
quartz
00:34
Biotite Mica and Plagioclase feldspar
00:37
We'll study these more detail later on
00:40
so on Earth [there] are over 2,000
varieties of minerals some of which are
seen here as
00:47
You can tell they come in a wide
variety of colors shapes sizes
00:52
textures and all Sorts of different
physical characteristics
00:57
Minerals have quite a few uses in our
everyday life just to give you an
example this here is an rough uncut
diamond of
01:05
Course we use diamonds for jewelry
we also use diamonds in construction
[applications] as the tips of saw blades
01:12
And variety other industrial uses

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01:16
Here's another mineral. This is called
fluorite
01:19
most famous for its inclusion in
01:22
Toothpaste yes, when you see the
name fluoride on a toothpaste that
means it's made out of the mineral
fluorite
01:29
But what else are minerals used for
well this here is talc?
01:33
Talc is a very common mineral that is
ground into a fine powder. It's very
soft, and it's used in baby powder
01:41
Sometimes you might hear it referred
to as talcum powder
01:44
One more example. This is a mineral
selenite gypsum
01:48
Which is used all around us in drywall.
This is the material that's used to build
the walls inside Modern houses and
buildings
01:58
But what exactly makes a mineral a
mineral
02:02
Well to be considered a mineral the
substance must meet five criteria
02:09
Let's go through those five [criteria]
right now
02:12
number one
02:13
Substance must exist as a solid under
normal conditions on Earth this means
if you have [a] liquid or gas
02:21
Under normal conditions it cannot be
considered a mineral it must be in the
solid state
02:27
number two the substance must be
02:30
Naturally occurring on Earth this

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means it cannot be man-made

02:34
So for example plastic is not
considered a mineral because it
doesn't exist naturally. It's created by
humans
02:41
Must be naturally-occurring
02:44
number three the substance must be in
02:47
organic meaning not coming from
living or made of living things
02:52
so if you talk about
02:55
I don't know tree branches or leaves
02:58
They cannot be considered minerals
because they are organic that is they
came from living organisms
03:03
another example would be coral Coral
is made by [small] sea creatures and
03:08
Therefore its organic material and
cannot be considered a mineral
minerals must be in organic
03:16
number four the substance must have
a
03:19
Fixed chemical formula meaning it's
made up of a specific combination of
elements
03:25
Let me give you an example the
mineral quartz is composed of silicon
and Oxygen bonded together
03:33
Specifically one silicon bonded to two
oxygen atoms all quartz is made of this
chemical formula
03:41
another example pyrite
03:43
Often known as fool's gold has a
chemical formula of fe which is iron
and s which [is] sulfur
03:49
and when these are bonded together

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in this particular arrangement you get

pyrite
03:54
so criteria for is that the substance
must have a
03:58
Specific or fixed chemical formula has
to be made of a specific recipe if you
will of elements
04:04
And then finally criteria number five
the atoms that make up the substance
must be arranged in an orderly
04:12
Crystal structure a specific structure let
me give you an example of this
04:18
[the] majority [of] the Minerals that
[exist] on Earth's surface are
considered silicates
04:23
And that means they're made up of in
part silicon and oxygen
04:28
the Silica Tetrahedra is the most
common arrangement of
04:32
Silicon and oxygen atoms within a
mineral it looks something like this
model here where the red balls of
clay?
04:40
Represent Oxygen atoms and the Gray
is a silicon atom and you can see
they're bound together in this
04:46
Tetrahedral shape and this becomes
the most common building block of
Minerals on Earth
04:51
So that's what we mean when we say
the atoms must be made up of a
specific orderly structure
04:57
I'll give you another [example] of that
in [just] a minute
05:01
So let's test ourselves a little bit here
are those five criteria must be solid
05:07
Naturally occurring Inorganic have a

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fixed chemical formula and a specific

atomic arrangement
05:14
So what about this pool of liquid
Mercury can this be considered a
mineral?
05:21
Well if you look at Criterion number
one it says it must be a solid and this
clearly is a liquid so
05:26
Sorry mercury. You're not a mineral
05:29
What about this chunk of bituminous
coal?
05:32
Well, if you know anything about coal,
you would know that it's actually
formed from ancient
05:38
Tropical plants that have been
compressed and squeezed together for
millions of years
05:43
so it is [a] solid and it's certainly
naturally occurring but
05:48
Because it's made from plants it is
organic and therefore. It doesn't meet
criteria number three and so coal is not
05:56
Considered a mineral
05:58
Well, what about ice this is an
interesting one. Let's go through our
Criteria. Is ice solid yes?
06:06
And it does exist as a solid [on] at least
some parts of the Earth the poles
06:11
Specifically and high up at mountains
you get water that exists naturally as a
solid so that's fine
06:16
Is it naturally occurring of course?
06:19
There's quite a bit of ice naturally
existing on Earth it is not an organic
material
06:24
It is not living it never was living and

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it's not made by living things

06:28
It does have a fixed chemical formula
H2o and it does have a specific atomic
arrangement
06:36
So is it a mineral well according to our
criteria? Yes, it is
06:41
However, there's a lot of debate about
this and some people think ice should
not be considered it because most
places on Earth it would
06:47
Exist [as] [a] liquid [so] we'll give that
one a question mark
06:51
What about this substance this is sulfur
as you can see sulfur exists as a solid.
That's good
06:58
It's naturally occurring it forms along
volcanoes [it] is Inorganic
07:03
It's not living and it never was living it
has a specific chemical formula
07:08
It's composed of the element sulfur,
and it has a very specific
07:13
Atomic arrangement if we could zoom
in we would see the atoms arranged in
a specific way
07:17
So for our criteria to be met sulfur
works, so it is considered a mineral
07:25
now let's move on I
07:27
Want you to keep in mind that all [of]
the physical properties of a mineral
and what I mean by that is the colors
07:35
the shapes the textures the smells and
the tastes the
07:40
appearance the Hardness the [sheen]
all of these physical
07:46
characteristics of minerals
07:48

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Result from one specific [thing] and

that is the internal
07:54
arrangement of the atoms
07:56
To give you an example that sulfur
07:58
We were just looking at is yellow the
reason it appears yellow is because of
how these sulfur atoms are arranged
inside
08:06
Quartz sometimes appear clear, and
that's because of how the atoms are
arranged the mineral halite
08:12
Tastes salty because of how the atoms
are arranged
08:16
The Mineral sulfur again has kind of a
rotten egg smell and that's a result of
the internal arrangement of atoms
08:23
So all of the physical properties result
from how those atoms are arranged.
Let me give you one really neat
example of this
08:31
This is a diamond the hardest mineral
that exists on Earth
08:36
Fairly Rare in
08:38
Nice complete crystals it is the hardest
substance
08:41
It has a hardness of ten on something
called the mohs hardness scale which
we will learn about
08:46
Now
08:48
Diamond is composed of one element
and that is carbon if you could zoom
down inside this diamond
08:54
You would see the cardem Carbon
atoms arranged in a pattern like this
08:58
Notice how all the atoms are
interlocking connected to one another

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[this] creates a really strong bond

09:05
Which is what makes time in such a
hard mineral?
09:09
But let's look at a different mineral
09:12
Did you ever wonder what made a
pencil right a lot of people have the
misconception that [it's] lead?
09:18
It's actually not lead it's a mineral
known as graphite
09:22
Interestingly enough graphite like
diamond is made up of only carbon
09:27
But if you look at how the carbon
atoms are arranged, they're arranged
into these sheets which are not very
well connected
09:35
The result is that though it's made of
the same elements as diamond. It's a
much much softer
09:42
weaker Mineral
09:44
So again what gives these minerals
their physical characteristics is how the
atoms are arranged inside?
09:53
So let's do a quick recap
09:56
First thing we talked about was [how]
minerals are the building blocks of
rocks how they have lots and lots of
uses on Earth
10:03
To be considered a mineral it must
meet our five criteria
10:07
It must be a solid it must be naturally-
occurring it must be Inorganic
10:13
It must have a specific composition and
finally it must have a definite structure
10:19
Thanks for listening

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