DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Capital Region

Division City Schools Manila

MANILA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Taft Ave., cor. Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila

LESSON 4.1
Activity 1: Mineral or Not
Name Yes/No Explanation/s
Sulfur Yes Sulfur is formed around volcanic areas and when
sulfate and sulfide minerals experience
weathering. Sulfur is naturally occurring in the
environment.
Gold Yes Gold minerals form and occur near hot rocks
and around volcanoes. Gold is naturally
occurring in the environment.
Concrete Block No A concrete block does not occur naturally in the
environment and it is only formed with the
assistance of humans. It also does not have a
chemical composition that is the same within all
concrete blocks.
Aluminum No Aluminum is always found in a compound and
pure aluminum requires manual work to be
isolated and refined.
Ice Yes Ice is the most common mineral, it qualifies as a
mineral because it occurs naturally and has both
a defined chemical composition and crystalline
structure.
Steel No Steel is an alloy that is produced by people. It is a
manually created alloy made with iron, carbon
and other elements.
Coral No Corals are either alive or have structures from
the past coral polyps. This contradicts the
qualification of a mineral being inorganic.
Synthetic Diamond No Synthetic diamonds are created in monitored
environments like laboratories. They do not
occur naturally.
Pearls No Pearls are not minerals because it is formed by
the actions of living beings and it has no distinct
crystalline structure.
Water No Unlike ice, water is not a mineral because of its
state being a liquid.
Glass No Glass does not have a definite chemical
composition and crystalline structure.
Coal No Coal is not a mineral because of its biogenic or
organic origins and its inconsistent chemical
structure.

Based on your answers on the above activity, what are minerals and how are they different from
one another?
- A mineral is an inorganic solid piece of matter that is formed by natural processes
in the environment. Minerals are either made with elements, compounds or both.
They can be differentiated by their different physical and crystalline structures as
well as their chemical composition.
 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Capital Region
Division City Schools Manila

MANILA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Taft Ave., cor. Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila

What are the five requirements for a material to be considered a mineral?

1. Minerals are inorganic.
2. Minerals are naturally occurring.
3. Minerals are always solids.
4. Minerals have a definite chemical composition.
5. Minerals have an ordered atomic arrangement which makes them crystalline

Activity 2. Mineral ID
Mineral Properties

Mineral Chemical Color Hardness Luster Breakage Streak Other

Name Composition Characteristics

1. SiO2 Occurs Hardness of 7 Non- Conchoidal Colorless chemically

Quartz in almost – 7.5 on the metallic Fracture or white inert,
every Mohs scale and and is electrically
color vitreous often conductive,
luster harder resistant to heat
than the etc.
streak
plate
2. Co+2 Occurs Hardness of Metallic Uneven Greyish Reacts slowly to
Cobalt in a approximately silver- Fracture blue dilute acids, can
shiny, 5 on the Mohs like streak be magnetized.
gray scale luster very stable in
color with nature,
blue
tones
3. S8 Occurs Hardness of Non- Conchoidal White Tasteless,
Sulfur in a neon 1.5 – 2.5 on metallic Fracture streak odorless, brittle
yellow the Mohs and and no electric
color scale resinous and heat
luster conductivity,
insoluble
4. CaCO3 Colorless Hardness of Non- Cleavage Barely has double
Calcite or approximately metallic white or refraction, very
occurs in 3 on the Mohs and colorless reactive to
milky scale vitreous streak weak acids
white luster
with
light
tones of
almost
any
color
5. Cu Occurs Hardness of Metallic Hackly Red malleable,
Copper in a approximately and and jagged streak ductile,
reddish 3 on the Mohs bright fracture conductive,
brown scale luster corrosion
color resistant and
recyclable
 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Capital Region
Division City Schools Manila

MANILA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Taft Ave., cor. Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila

Activity 3. This Came from that!

Object/Substance Mineral What material is Extra Information

where it is commonly Composition/Chemical mined and where is it
used Formula mined in the
Philippines?
1. Glass Made with SiO2, CaCO3,
Na2CO3
2. Magnets Made with Al, Ni, Co+2
3. Metal Cutlery Made with Fe2O3 and
Cr2O4
4. Salt Found as NaCl in most
environments but can be
artificially made
5. Talcum Powder Found as Mg3Si4O10 in
most environments
6. Pencil Made with graphite with
a formula of C (Carbon)
7. Ceramic Made with Al2Si2O5
(OH)4 or Al2O3
Limestone from Glass is an amorphous
Guimaras Island, Sand solid that has
from Northern Luzon molecules that move at
and Visayas, a very slow rate.
Bauxite Mining for Some magnets can
Aluminum in Samar, occur naturally in the
Nickel Mines in environment. An
Zamboanga, Copper example is the
from South Cotabato Lodestone or
Loadstone which is a
special type of the
mineral magnetite.
Iron mines in Leyte, Metal cutlery using
Chromite ore is found stainless steel was
and mined in discovered by Harry
Zambales Brearley.
Salt mines in the Rock salt and sea salt
Cagayan Valley, are basically the same.
individual sodium ores They only differ in the
like Halite can be methods they are
found commonly collected and their
place of origin.
Talc mines are found Talcum powder has a
in the Zambales property that allows it
Province to easily absorb
moisture and ease
friction, which makes
it a dominant
ingredient in cosmetic
products.
Graphite mines can be The pencil is created
found in the Central with a form of carbon
Luzon Region and mixed with clay
then rolled with wood
or paper. A small piece
of pencil already
contains multiple
stacked layers of
graphite.
Kaolinite clays can be Ceramics are made by
found in the Cagayan heating clays. They are
Valley Region either monolithic
(made of one chemical
compound) or
composite (made with
multiple chemical
compounds)
 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Capital Region
Division City Schools Manila

MANILA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Taft Ave., cor. Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila

8. Fiberglass Made with CaCO3, Limestones are Fiberglass is intensly

Na₂CO₃ and KAlSi3O8
along with soda ash and
silica sand
9. Caulking / Made with CaCO3 and
Caulk CaSO4 . 2H2O
10. Glossy paper Made with CaCO3,
Al2Si2O5, S8 etc.
harvested from ligh and versatile. It
Guimaras Island, can also be rearranged
Feldspar is found in into different shapes
the Bicol Region and due to the
Camarinest Norte characteristics of the
Province minerals present in
Fiberglass.
Limestones are Caulking is used as a
harvested from sealant for areas that
Guimaras Island, are prone to gaps like
Gypsum deposits edges and joints of an
include Batangas, object. Silicate based
Camarines Sur and caulks with mineral
Norter, and the Negros fillers are used to
Oriental Province enhance adhesion
properties.
Limestones are The creation of glossy
harvested from paper comes from the
Guimaras Island, additives from
Kaolinite clays can be minerals that give it
found in the Cagayan the shining texture
Valley Region that is derived from a
mineral’s luster.

Activity 4. Importance of Minerals in Daily Life

1. Antimony is used in batteries and mixed with lead because of its

hardness that increases physical capabilities of batteries. It can also
affect the conductive properties of metals in a battery.
2. Nickel is used for coins due to its sturdiness, hardness and corrosion-
resistant properties that assure a currency’s longevity.
3. Sulfur is used in winemaking because of how it reacts to elements and
compounds. It helps preserve and ferment the wine which also prevents
oxidation while storing the wine.
4. Zeolite is commonly used in detergents and wastewater cleaning
products because of its high adsorption capacity, high porosity and
ability to separate different reactants and products in given conditions.
5. Coltans or Columbite-Tantalites are used in electronics and technology
because of its ability to hold high electrical charges and high heat
resistance. These help in creating circuit boards and capacitors.
 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Capital Region
Division City Schools Manila

MANILA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Taft Ave., cor. Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila

EVALUATION

1. Minerals can be defined by their luster, hardness, streak/color,

crystalline structure and shape, breakage, magnetism, specific gravity
and their other unique characteristics.
2. None of the mentioned mineral groups contain silicon. This is because
halides consist of chlorine or fluorine with other elements, carbonates
have what is called a carbonate group and sulfides are combined with
sulfur. Only silicates have silicon.
3. Silicates are more abundant and dominant in the Earth’s crust. This is
because of the presence of oxygen and silicon in the environment that
promote the creation of silicates.
4. This mineral is more likely to be a metallic mineral. The minerals that
have dark streaks or black streaks are usually very dense and metallic.
(examples are plutonium, tungsten and uranium)
5. Color is the outer appearance of a mineral which can be inconsistent
due to impurities. Streak is the powdered form of a mineral. Streak is
more effective in rock identification because despite a mineral’s color, a
streak does not change making it easier for identifying and
differentiating minerals.
6. Habit plane refers to the way minerals were formed that may influence
same features in different crystals. Cleavage plane refers to the fracture
of a crystal and the tendency to split along definite crystallographic
planes.
7. It is possible for a mineral to have a prismatic habit because a habit is
formed while a mineral is growing. A mineral can have no points of
weakness because cleavage planes only form after the mineral is
growing. An example of this is quartz.