WEEKLY LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEETS

Earth and Life Science Grade 11, Quarter 1, Week 2A

Rock-forming Minerals

Name: _____________________________________ Section: _____________________

Most Essential Learning Competency

Identify common rock-forming minerals using their physical and chemical
properties (S11/12ES-Ia-9).

Specific Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, the learners are expected to:
1. determine the rock-forming minerals in a given properties;
2. identify the chemical and physical properties of rock-forming minerals; and
3. make and reflect an advocacy on promoting the protection of minerals in the
Philippines.

Time Allotment: 2 hours

Key Concepts

Minerals and Their Properties

• Minerals are the building blocks of rock. They are naturally formed, inorganic solid
with a crystalline structure. They are made up of one or more elements.
• In identifying minerals, physical and chemical properties should be considered.
• Physical Properties of Minerals
o Color – can be quickly noticed. Minerals exist in different colors and shades.
Color can be helpful; however, it is important to note that color may not
mainly reliable indicator to identify minerals.
o Luster – is a manner how the surface of a mineral reflects light. It can be
metallic if the mineral is shiny and nonmetallic if it is dull. It can also be
described as vitreous, greasy, waxy, pearly, and silky.
o Streak – is the color of the powdered form of a mineral.
o Cleavage – is the tendency of some minerals to break along flat surfaces.
o Fracture – is the tendency of some minerals to break unevenly along curved
or irregular surfaces.
o Hardness – refers to the resistance of a mineral to scratching. Numerical
rating for the hardness of minerals can be determined by Moh’s hardness
scale. The scale was developed by Friedrich Mohs in 1812 which has a scale
of the 10 minerals, from 1, the softest, to 10, the hardest.
o Crystal habit/form – refers to the characteristic shape of individual crystals
or group of crystals.
o Specific gravity – the ratio of the density of a mineral to the density of water.
• The use of chemical properties in identifying minerals depend on the chemical
properties of the atoms present in certain mineral. Solubility and melting point are
the usual chemical properties that can be carried out.
o Solubility – is the ability of a mineral to dissolve in a liquid, like salt and
water.

Name of Writer: CORPUZ-ABENOJA, Metchie Mae R.

School/Station: Trento National High School
Division: Agusan del Sur
e-mail address: metchiemae.corpuz-abenoja@deped.gov.ph
 o Melting Point – refers to the temperature at which solid, mineral in this case,
turns into liquid.

Common Rock-forming Minerals

• Rock-forming minerals are minerals that make up the most of the rocks of earth’s
crust. Observe Figure 1, it shows the eight elements that make up the vast majority
of the rock-forming minerals and that represent more than 98 percent (by weight)
of the continental crust. Oxygen and Silicon bear the greater percentage which
known to be the silicates.

Figure 1. The Most Abundant Elements in the Continental Crust.

Source: Tarbuck et al., (2015)

• Table 1 shows the common rock-forming minerals.

Table 1. Nine Rock-forming Minerals

Rock-forming Minerals Distinguishing Features
1. Feldspars • The largest group of rock-forming silicate minerals that alone makes up
about 50% of the Earth’s crust
• Found in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks
• Colors are usually white, pink, gray, or brown; colorless, yellow, orange,
red, black, blue, and green also exist
• Streak is white
• Luster is vitreous; pearly on some cleavage faces
• Usually translucent to opaque; rarely transparent
• Cleavage is perfect in two directions; cleavage planes usually intersect
at/or close to a 90°
• Moh’s hardness is 6 to 6.5 and specific gravity of 2.5 to 2.8
• Used for crushed and powdered feldspar which are important raw
materials for the manufacture of plate glass, container glass, ceramic
products, paints, plastics, and many other products; other varieties are
used as gems
2. Quartz • Abundant and widely distributed
• Ubiquitous, plentiful, and durable
• Major constituent in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks
• Highly resistant to mechanical and chemical weathering

Name of Writer: CORPUZ-ABENOJA, Metchie Mae R.

School/Station: Trento National High School
Division: Agusan del Sur
e-mail address: metchiemae.corpuz-abenoja@deped.gov.ph
 • Common colors occur in clear, white, gray, purple, yellow, brown, black,
pink, green, and red
• Colorless streak
• Vitreous luster
• Transparent to translucent
• Cleavage is none; typically breaks with a conchoidal fracture
• Moh’s hardness is 7 and with specific gravity of 2.6 to 2.7
• Used for glass making, abrasive, foundry sand, hydraulic fracturing
proppant, gemstones.
3. Pyroxenes • Can be found in igneous and metamorphic rocks
• Formed under high temperature and/or high-pressure conditions
• Usually dark green to dark brown or black in color; some occur in range
of colors such as jadeite and spodumene
• White streak
• Vitreous to dull luster
• Semi-translucent to opaque
• Exhibit two directions of cleavage that intersect at approximately 87°
and 93°; often have nearly square cross section
• Moh’s hardness is 5 to 7 and specific gravity of 3 to 4
• Minor and secondary components of some rocks that are used as
crushed stone and dimension stone; used for gem materials, but in rare
instances.
4. Amphiboles • Present in igneous and metamorphic rocks
• May in green, brown, or black
• White colorless; brittle and often leaves cleavage debris behind instead of
a streak
• Vitreous luster
• Translucent to nearly opaque
• Cleavage has two directions intersecting at 124° and 56°
• Moh’s hardness is 5 to 6; specific gravity varies depending upon
composition it may 2.9 to 3.5
• Its uses may link to amphibolite, a rock with abundant amphibole
mineral; crushed amphibolites are used for highway construction and as
railroad ballast
5. Micas • Present in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks
• Cleaves into thin sheets
• Muscovite is the most abundant and common in mica family
• Thick specimens often appear to be black, brown, or silver in color but
when split into thin sheets, it is colorless, sometimes with tint of brown,
yellow, green, or rose
• Streak is white and often sheds tiny flakes
• Pearly to vitreous luster
• Transparent to translucent
• Perfect cleavage
• Moh’s hardness is 2.5 to 3 and specific gravity is 2.8 to 2.9
• Used in manufacturing paints, joint compound, plastics rubber, asphalt
roofing, cosmetics, and drilling mud
6. Garnet • Found in metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks.
• Best known as red gemstone
• Typically color red, but can be orange, green, yellow, purple, black, or
brown. Blue garnets are extremely rare
• Colorless streak
• Vitreous luster
• Transparent to translucent
• Lack of cleavage
• Moh’s hardness is 6.5 to 7.5; specific gravity is 3.5 to 4.3
• Used for waterjet cutting granules, abrasive blasting granules, filtration
granules, abrasive grits and powders, and gemstones

Name of Writer: CORPUZ-ABENOJA, Metchie Mae R.

School/Station: Trento National High School
Division: Agusan del Sur
e-mail address: metchiemae.corpuz-abenoja@deped.gov.ph
 7. Olivine • Typically found in mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks like in basalt.
• Familiar because of peridot, a green gemstone.
• Very high crystallization temperature compared to other minerals
• Usual color is olive green, but can be yellow-green to bright green; iron-
rich specimens are brownish green to brown
• Colorless streak
• Vitreous luster
• Transparent to translucent
• Poor cleavage, brittle with conchoidal fracture
• Moh’s hardness is 6.5 to 7 and specific gravity of 3.2 to 4.4
• Used for gemstones and a declining use in bricks and refractory sand
8. Calcite • Principal constituent of limestone and marble
• Its color is usually white but also colorless, gray, red, green, blue,
yellow, brown, and orange
• White streak
• Vitreous luster
• Transparent to translucent
• Cleavage is perfect, rhombohedral, three directions
• Moh’s hardness is 3 and specific gravity of 2.7
• Curved crystal faces and frequent twinning
• Uses for acid neutralization, a low-hardness abrasive, soil conditioner,
heated for production of lime
9. Dolomite • Primary component of sedimentary rock known as dolostone and the
metamorphic rock known as dolomitic marble.
• Color exists in colorless, white, pink, green, gray, brown, and black
• White streak
• Vitreous, pearly luster
• Transparent to translucent
• Perfect, rhombohedral, three directions cleavage
• Moh’s hardness is 3.5 to 4 and specific gravity of 2.8 to 2.9
• Used for construction aggregate, cement manufacture, dimension stone,
calcined to produce lime, sometimes an oil and gas reservoir, a source
of magnesia for the chemical industry, agricultural soil treatments, and
metallurgical flux
Source: King (2021)

Activity No. 1: Aha! It’s You!

Objective: Determine the rock-forming minerals in a given properties.
What you need? Answer sheet; Black/Blue pen
What to do? Determine the rock-forming minerals in a given diagnostic properties each
item. Choose your answer from the box below. Write your answers in your Earth
and Life Science answer sheets.

Feldspar Quartz Amphiboles Micas

Olivine Garnet Calcite Pyroxenes

___________ 1. Color: Olive green

Luster: Vitreous luster
Cleavage: Poor, brittle with conchoidal fracture
Texture: Granular

___________ 2. Cleavage: Perfect, rhombohedral, three directions

Solubility: Powdered form effervesces weakly in dilute HCl
Crystal habit/form: Curved crystal faces and frequent twinning

Name of Writer: CORPUZ-ABENOJA, Metchie Mae R.

School/Station: Trento National High School
Division: Agusan del Sur
e-mail address: metchiemae.corpuz-abenoja@deped.gov.ph
___________ 3. Crystal habit/form: Stubby prismatic crystals
Cleavage: Two direction of cleavage; intersect at approximately 87° and 93°

___________ 4. Moh’s hardness: 6.5 to 7.5

Specific gravity: 3.5 to 4.3
Crystal habit/form: Isometric crystal form
Cleavage: None

___________ 5. Cleavage: Perfect, rhombohedral, three directions

Solubility: Powdered form effervesces weakly dilute HCl
Moh’s hardness: 3.5 to 4

Activity No. 2: 1, 2, 3... There You Are!

Objective: Identify the chemical and physical properties of rock-forming minerals.
What you need? Answer sheet; Black/Blue pen
What to do? Locate some terms which refer to the properties of minerals necessary for
identification. Copy the word search box in your answer sheet and highlight seven
(7) terms only.
L A S T I R Y W H A
C U H A R D N E S S
O Q S S T R A G E O
L X B T I L I T Y L
O K A R E S C K O U
R P L E W R J N D B
C L E A V A G E Z I
N B T K H D R A L L
U B Y G F J P R O I
F R A C T U R E V T
I Q C V G R A C E Y

Activity No. 3: Join Me, Raise Our Voice!

Objective: Make and reflect an advocacy on promoting the protection of minerals in the
Philippines.
What you need? Answer sheet; Black/Blue pen
What to do? Reflect on how important the minerals are for you and for the nation as a
whole. As a student, what advocacy will you propose to protect the minerals in the
Philippines. Write your advocacy in a form of short essay, poem, slogan, or short
jingle song with a common tune. Refer to the rubric provided.

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Name of Writer: CORPUZ-ABENOJA, Metchie Mae R.

School/Station: Trento National High School
Division: Agusan del Sur
e-mail address: metchiemae.corpuz-abenoja@deped.gov.ph
Rubric

5 - Ideas are expressed scientifically, consistent to the concepts and has no

misconception.
4 - Ideas are expressed scientifically, consistent to the concepts but with misconception.
3 - Ideas are expressed scientifically but contains several contradictory concepts.
2 - Ideas are poorly expressed scientifically.
1 - Ideas are vague and unprecise.
0 - No discussion.
Note: Score has to be multiplied by 2. The same rubric will be applied in the reflection.

Reflection

Have you remembered Ms. Gina Lopez, who has been our late DENR Secretary for
just a short period of time? From June 30, 2016 to May 3, 2017, Ms. Gina showed
enthusiasm in her job whom wasted no time in addressing environmental issues. She was
an empowered environmental activist since then. Now, let us look unto one of the scenarios
that she is concerned with and that was eventually able to pursue closure of some mining
companies.

If you happen to explore Caraga region, you can affirm its richness in minerals
because of several small- and large-scale mining companies that are currently operating.
The existence of such companies undeniably threatens the environment and even human
health. There was a study conducted on the aquatic biodiversity of Lake Mainit, Southern
Philippines. Results showed a decline in fish resources as compared to a previous study.
The researchers believed for several reasons why there was a difference on the species
composition overtime. One of those reasons is the degrading water quality because of
mining and domestic activities (Uy et al., 2015). With regards to water quality, Ebol et al.
(2020) evaluated the levels of heavy metals namely Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury from key
aquatic fauna and sediments. They also believed that the lake is at risk from such
contamination due to industrial, agricultural wastes, and mining endeavors. Basically,
mine discharges pollute water streams leading to the lake and other bodies of water that
thereby accumulates toxins over time which greatly affect the land and water ecosystem.
Lake Mainit plays important role in the lives of people nearby. It brought abundance and
diverse offerings to humans, serving as a source of their living and a source of products
within and outside the region. The irresponsible activities today would surely affect
tomorrow’s lives.

With Ms. Gina’s utmost concern, she was strongly firm in dealing the issue right
away. If the same situation will continue in which the mining operates without taking
serious considerations to the local environment and residents, what do you think will be
a great impact towards the young generations like you in the near future? Express your
reflection in five to ten sentences.

Name of Writer: CORPUZ-ABENOJA, Metchie Mae R.

School/Station: Trento National High School
Division: Agusan del Sur
e-mail address: metchiemae.corpuz-abenoja@deped.gov.ph
References

Ebol, Emalina L., Carlos H. Donoso, Rex Bombet D. Saura, Rolit Joan C. Ferol, Juliet Ruth
D. Mozar, Arman N. Bermon, Jerry Manongas et al. "Heavy metals accumulation in
surface waters, bottom sediments and aquatic organisms in Lake Mainit,
Philippines." International of Natural Sciences 79 (2020): 41.

Hendrix, Marc S, Graham R Thompson, and Jonathan Turk. 2021. Earth Science: An
Introduction. Boston: Cengage.

King, Hobart. 2021. "The Common Rock-Forming Minerals". Geoscience News and
Information. https://geology.com/minerals/rock-forming-minerals

Montgomery, Carla W. 2020. Environmental Geology. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Tarbuck, Edward J, and Frederick Lutgens. 2015. Earth Science. England: Pearson
Education Limited.

Uy, Wilfredo H., Asuncion B. De Guzman, Rodrigo E. Acuña, Rodrigo & Rey L. Roa.
“Aquatic Biodiversity of Lake Mainit, Southern Philippines.” Journal of Environment
& Aquatic Resources 3 (2015): 1-14. doi: 10.48031/msunjear.2015.03.01

Answer Key

• Answers vary
Activity No. 3: Join Me, Raise Our Voice!

Y A C E G R V C I Q
T R E V T U C A F R
I P R O F J G Y U B
L R A L H D K T N B
I G E Z V A A E C L
B J N D W R E L R P
U C K O E S R A O K 5. Dolomite
L I T Y I L T B L X 4. Garnet
O A G E T R S S O Q 3. Pyroxene
S N E S R D A H C U 2. Calcite
A Y W H I R T S L A 1. Olivine
Are! There You 1,2,3… 2: No. Activity Activity No. 1: Aha! It’s You!

Name of Writer: CORPUZ-ABENOJA, Metchie Mae R.

School/Station: Trento National High School
Division: Agusan del Sur
e-mail address: metchiemae.corpuz-abenoja@deped.gov.ph