Minerals

❖ A naturally occurring, inorganic,

solid with an orderly crystalline
structure and a definite chemical
composition.
❖ Minerals are the basic building
blocks of rocks.
 Mineral Properties
These 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.
Metallic – generally
opaque and exhibits a
resplendent shine similar
to a polished metal.
Non- metallic - vitreous,
adamantine, resinous,
silky pearly, dull, greasy
among others.
 2. Hardness –
▪ it is a measure of the resistance of a mineral
to abrasion.
▪ The ability to resist being scratched
▪ It is determined by the ability of one mineral to
scratch another
.
 MOHS SCALE OF HARDNESS

Rating Description Mineral Example

1.Very soft easily crumbles, can be scratched with a fingernail Talc
(2.2)
2.Soft Can be scratched with a fingernail (2.2) Gypsumm
3.Soft Can be scratched with a copper penny (3.5) Calcite
4.Semi-hard Can be scratched with a nail (3.2) Flourite
5.Hard Can be scratched with a nail (5.2) Apatite
6.Hard Minerals with hardness of 6 or more can scratch glass Feldspar
7.Very Hard Can be scratched with a concrete nail (7.5) Quarts
8.Very Hard Topaz
9.Extremely Hard Used in industrial tools for cutting and grinding Corundum
10.The Hardest Diamonds is used to cut all minerals Diamond
Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-identify-a-Mineral/step3/Hardness/(8/30/2015)

Objects Hardness
Common everyday objects that Fingernail 2 – 2.5
can be used for hardness test. Copper coin/wire 3 – 3.5
Nail 5 – 5.5
Glass 5.5
Steel knife 6.5 - 7
 3. Crystal Form – the external shape
of a crystal is displayed as these
crystals grow in open spaces. 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 does not have a crystal
structure is described as amorphous.

.
4. Color and
Streak – a lot of
minerals can
exhibit same or
similar colors.
Streak is the
mineral’s color in
powdered form.
5. Cleavage
– is the property
of some minerals
to break along
specific planes of
weakness to
form smooth, flat
surfaces.
6. Specific Gravity – the ratio of the
density of the mineral and the density of
water.
7. Other properties – includes
magnetism, odor, texture, tenacity, reaction
to acid.
 Mineral Name Graphite

Chemical Composition C
Luster Metallic, earthy
Hardness 1 to 2
Color Black
Streak Black
Texture extremely soft, cleaves
Specific Gravity 1.9–2.3
 Minerals, like many other things, can also be
categorized. The most stable and least ambigous
basis for classification of minerals is based on their
chemical compositions.

1. Silicates – minerals containing the two most

abundant elements in the earth’s crust, namely
. silicon and oxygen.
 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
(𝑆𝑂4 -) anion.
4. Sulfides – minerals
containing a sulfur and a
metal; some sulfides are
sources of economically
important metals such
as copper, lead, and
zinc.
 4. Carbonates – minerals containing
the carbonate (𝐶𝑂3 )−2 anion combined
with other elements.

.
6. Native Elements – minerals that form as individual elements.
a. Metals – metals with high thermal and electrical conductivity,
typically with metallic luster, low hardness such as gold and lead.
b. Semi- metals – minerals that are more fragile than metals and
have lower conductivity. Examples are arsenic and bismuth.
c. Non- metals – non- conductive such as sulfur and diamond.
7. Halides – minerals
containing halogen
elements combined
with one or more
metals.
Classify the following minerals based on their
chemical composition

1. Chlorocalcite (KCaCl3)
2. Cuprite (Cu2O)
3. Quartz (SiO2)
4. Anhydrite (CaSO4)
5. Manganese (Mn)
6. Dolomite CaMg(CO3)2
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC