CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT

MINERALS:
•IT OCCUR NATURALLY
•IT IS INORGANIC
•INTERNAL STRUCTURE IS IN ORDERLY PATTERN
•IT HAS A CHARACTERISTIC OF A DEFINITE CHEMICAL
COMPOSITION
PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
• CRYSTAL FORM
• LUSTER
• COLOR
• STREAK
• HARDNESS
• CLEAVAGE
• FRACTURE
• SPECIFIC GRAVITY
CRYSTAL FORM
• IT DESCRIBES THE GROWTH PATTERN OF THE
CRYSTALS OF THE MINERAL.
LUSTER
• REFERS TO THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF LIGHT WHICH IS REFLECTED FROM THE SURFACE OF THE
MINERAL.
TYPES:
• METALLIC LUSTER - ARE MINERALS THAT “SHINE” WHEN EXPOSED TO LIGHT.
• NON METALLIC LUSTER – ARE PEARLY, SILKY, VITREOUS AND RESINOUS.
• SUBMETALLIC LUSTER – ARE MINERALS THAT HAS SOMEWHAT METALLIC LUSTER.
COLOR
• IS THE VISUAL PERCEPTUAL PROPERTY CORRESPONDING IN HUMANS.
COLOR IS AN OFTEN UNRELIABLE
DIAGNOSTIC PROPERTY:

• MOST MINERALS ARE COLORLESS OR HAVE THE SAME COLOR.

• IMPURITIES CAN ALTER THE REAL COLOR OF THE MINERAL.
• CHEMICAL WEATHERING CAN TARNISH THE SURFACE COLOR OF THE MINERAL.
STREAK
• IS THE COLOR WHICH THE MINERAL DISPLAY WHEN IT HAS BEEN IN ITS POWDERED FORM. IT IS
CONSIDERED TO BE MUCH RELIABLE INDICATION OF COLOR.
 Rank Mineral

HARDNESS
1 Talc

2 Gypsum

3 Calcite
• IS THE RESISTANCE OF THE MINERAL FROM 4 Fluorite
BEING SCRATCHED. TO MEASURE THE
5 Apatite
HARDNESS OF THE MINERALS IT INVOLVES THE
USE OF MOHS’ SCALE INVENTED BY FRIEDRICH 6 Orthoclase
MOHS. 7 Quartz

8 Topaz

9 Corundum

10 Diamond
 Rank Mineral

HARDNESS
1 Talc

2 Gypsum

3 Calcite
• IS THE RESISTANCE OF THE MINERAL FROM 4 Fluorite
BEING SCRATCHED. TO MEASURE THE
5 Apatite
HARDNESS OF THE MINERALS IT INVOLVES THE
USE OF MOHS’ SCALE INVENTED BY FREDERICK 6 Orthoclase
MOHS. 7 Quartz

8 Topaz

9 Corundum

10 Diamond
CLEAVAGE
• IS THE SPLITTING OF CRYSTALS ALONG THE
SMOOTH PLANE. CLEAVAGE IS THE NATURAL
TENDENCY OF MINERALS TO BREAK ALONG
DEFINITE SEAMS OF WEAK BONDING.
 FRACTURE
• TAKES PLACE WHEN A MINERAL SPLITS IN A DIRECTION
POSSESSING DIFFICULT INDISTINCT CLEAVAGE.

A. CONCHOIDAL FRACTURE
- RESULTS IN A SERIES OF SMOOTHLY CURVED CONCENTRIC
RINGS ABOUT THE STRESSED POINT, GENERATING A SHELL-
LIKE APPEARANCE
B. IRREGULAR FRACTURE
- RESULTS IN A RUGGED OR ROUGH SURFACE
 Mineral Specific Gravity

SPECIFIC GRAVITY Platinum 21.5

Gold 20.0
Mercury 13.6
• REFERS TO THE RATIO OF THE WEIGHT OF A
Silver 10.6
MINERAL TO THE WEIGHT OF AN EQUAL WATER.
Copper 9.0
Zinc 7.1
Pyrite 5.2
Garnet 4.2
Diamond 3.5
Talc 2.8
SPECIAL PROPERTIES
• MAGNETISM – ABILITY TO ATTRACT OTHER
MINERALS. EX. MAGNETITE
• ELECTRICAL PROPERTY – SOME MINERALS BECOME
ELECTRICALLY CHARGED WHEN RUBBED LIKE
SULFUR OR WHEN SUBJECTED TO PRESSURE LIKE
QUARTZ, OR WHEN HEATED THE OPPOSITE ENDS
BECOME ELECTRICALLY CHARGED LIKE
TOURMALINE.
• MALLEABILITY – ABILITY OF MINERALS TO BE HAMMERED
INTO DESIRED SHAPES. EX. SILVER AND GOLD
• DUCTILITY – ABILITY OF MINERALS TO BE DRAWN
INTO FINE WIRES. EX. COPPER AND PLATINUM
• RADIOACTIVE – ABILITY OF SOME MINERALS TO
EMIT RADIATION. EX. RADIUM, THORIUM, URANIUM
AND COBALT
MINERAL GROUPS
• SILICATE MINERALS – HAVE THE SILICON- • NONSILICATE MINERALS – ARE WITHOUT SILICON
OXYGEN TETRAHEDRON AS THEIR FUNDAMENTAL 1. CARBONATE (EX. CALCITE)
BUILDING BLOCK. 2. SULFIDES (EX. GALENA, SPHALERITE)
1. FELDSPAR 3. SULFATES (EX. GYPSUM, ANHYDRIDE)
2. QUARTZ 4. NATIVE ELEMENTS (EX. GOLD, DIAMOND)
3. MUSCOVITE 5. HALIDES (EX. HALITE)
4. HORNBLENDE
ORE
• REFERS TO THE TYPE OF ROCK THAT CONTAINS USEFUL METALLIC MINERALS LIKE HEMATITE (MINED FOR
IRON) AND GALENA (MINED FOR LEAD), THAT CAN BE MINED FOR A PROFIT, AS WELL AS SOME
NONMETALLIC, SUCH AS FLUORITE AND SULFUR.
TYPES OF ROCKS

• IGNEOUS ROCKS
• SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
• METAMORPHIC ROCKS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
• FORMS FROM MAGMA/LAVA THAT COOLS AND SOLIDIFIES.
TYPES:
• INTRUSIVE IGNEOUS ROCKS OR PLUTONIC ROCKS
➢FORMS WHEN MAGMA COOLS SLOWLY BELOW THE EARTH'S SURFACE. MOST INTRUSIVE ROCKS HAVE LARGE,
WELL-FORMED CRYSTALS
• EXTRUSIVE IGNEOUS ROCKS OR VOLCANIC ROCKS
➢FORMS WHEN MAGMA REACHES THE EARTH'S SURFACE A VOLCANO AND COOLS QUICKLY. MOST EXTRUSIVE
(VOLCANIC) ROCKS HAVE SMALL CRYSTALS.
MAGMA
• IS A MIXTURE OF MOLTEN ROCKS AND PRIMARILY ELEMENTS ARE SILICON, OXYGEN, ALUMINUM, IRON
CALCIUM, SODIUM, POTASSIUM AND MAGNESIUM.
TYPES:
• BASALTIC - LOW SILICA CONTENT, LOW VISCOSITY
• ANDESITIC - A MEDIUM LEVEL OF SILICA CONTENT, INTERMEDIATE VISCOSITY
• RHYOLITIC - HIGH SILICA CONTENT, HIGH VISCOSITY
CRYSTALLIZATION OF MAGMA

• THE IONS ARE ARRANGED IN AN ORDERLY PATTERN

• THE RATE OF COOLING IS DETERMINED BY THE CRYSTAL SIZED
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• FORMED FROM SMALL PARTICLES OF ROCKS THAT HAVE BEEN LITHIFIED.

• WEATHERING IS THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL BREAKDOWN OF ROCKS. SMALL PARTICLES OF ROCKS
FROM THE WEATHERING ARE CALLED SEDIMENTS.
CLASSIFICATION OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• DETRITUS/DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

- IS PARTICLES OF ROCK DERIVED FROM PRE-EXISTING ROCK THROUGH PROCESSES OF WEATHERING AND
EROSION.

• CHEMICAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

- FORM BY PRECIPITATION OF MINERALS FROM WATER
SEDIMENTS AND THEIR SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
EQUIVALENT
SEDIMENTS SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

SAND SANDSTONE

GRAVEL CONGLOMERATE

CLAY, MUD SHALE

SHELLS AND SKELETONS LIMESTONE

PEAT LIGNITE
METAMORPHIC ROCKS

• ROCKS THAT CHEMICALLY CHANGED IN FORM, STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION UNDER THE PROCESS OF
METAMORPHISM.
• MORE CYSTALLINE, HARDER AND DENSER THAN THE ROCKS THEY ORIGINATED.
TYPES OF METAMORPHISM

• CONTACT METAMORPHISM – WHEN MAGMA INTRUDES INTO EXISTING ROCKS.

• REGIONAL METAMORPHISM – FORMED DURING MOUNTAIN BUILDING PROCESS THAT OCCURS OVER A
LARGE AREA.
CHANGES BROUGHT BY METAMORPHISM

• INCREASE IN DENSITY, GROWTH OF LARGER CRYSTALS

• FOLIATION OR REORIENTATION OF MINERALS GRAINS
• FORMATION OF NEW MINERALS
COMMON METAMORPHIC ROCKS
Parent Rock Metamorphic Rock
Granite Gneiss

Shale Slate

Sandstone Quartzite
PETROLOGIC CYCLE