Trisha Jane Carla L.

Campos
11-Thessalonians
Earth and Life Science Activity 1 Enrichment
December 3, 2022

1. What are the characteristics that define a mineral?

- A mineral should be created by nature with orderly crystalline structure. It also
should be inorganic, and with definite chemical composition.
2. Which among the following mineral groups, if any contain silicon: halides, carbonates,
or sulfides?
- None. The identified mineral groups are non-silicates. Only Silicates have Silicon.
3. An unknown opaque mineral has a black streak and has a density of 18g/cubic cc. Is
the mineral metallic or non-metallic?
- Metallic. Because it is opaque where it is not glossy or transmit light in thin
sections. And mostly metallic minerals usually are heavy and have dark streaks.
4. What is the difference between a mineral's streak and color? Why is streak more
reliable for rock identification?
- Identifying a mineral by its color is not reliable and helpful as the mineral can be
formed in many varieties of color which is an effect of weathering and impurities.
Also its streaks can be colorless or none. A streak, where it can give you the
color of mineral in powdered form that can easily help you to Identify the mineral,
is the most reliable way to identify a rock’s identification. As you can see that the
color outside of the mineral is more different when you see the color of its streak.
5. Differentiate habit and cleavage plane.
- Habit is the natural form of a mineral while the cleavage form is where a mineral
breaks apart revealing its smooth flat surface.
6. Is it possible for a mineral to have a prismatic habit without having a cleavage? Why
or why not? If yes, give an example.
- Yes. It is possible since the prismatic habit is at the same time the mineral is
growing and there is no repetitive plane of weakness being created which makes
the mineral break only by fracturing. Like Quartz that breaks along with cleavage
planes can still have its prismatic habit form. It is known as conchoidal fracture.
7. Heat is a major agent in metamorphism and igneous rock formation, but not in
sedimentary rocks. Why?
- Because the sedimentary rocks are formed by the accumulation or deposition of
mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Rather
than igneous rock formed from the cooling and solidification of molten (melted)
rock, sedimentary rocks formed deep within the Earth’s surface till it became
compacted and cemented, forming sedimentary rock.