CHRISTIAN SAMARITAN HEALTH SERVICES AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL, INC.

✓ TAGOLOAN CAMPUS, CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

Name: Date: Score:

Subject: Earth Science Strand & Section:

Topic: EARTH MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
A. Minerals and Rocks
Content Standard: The learners demonstrate an understanding of:
1. the three main categories of rocks
2. the origin and environment of formation of common minerals and rocks
Learning Competency: The learners:
1. identify common rock-forming minerals using their physical and chemical properties S11/12ES-Ia-9
2. classify rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic S11/12ES-Ib-10
References: Teachers Guide, Earth & Life Science: Knowing and Understanding Nature, Rey Donne S.
Activity No.3 & 4
Papa, Jonathan A. Briones, Donna May Papa, Dino T. Tordesillas
Concept Notes
EARTH MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
Minerals and Rocks
 Minerals
- the building blocks of rocks
- refers to a naturally occurring, inorganic substance with a crystalline structure.
 Crystals
- are composed of a repeating structural unit composed of atoms of one or more elements.

Physical properties of minerals used as bases for their identification are:

1. Color
– easy to observe but is not the most reliable reference for identification of minerals.
- impurities may affect the color of minerals depending on their amount.
2. Streak
- the color observed when minerals is finely powdered
- does not vary in color even if the mineral appears in different colors.
3. Crystal structure
- refers to the geometric arrangement of atoms in the crystalline form of minerals.
- influenced by the three-dimensional pattern of the crystal that make the mineral.
4. Luster
- the way the mineral reflects light.
- the luster of minerals can be metallic, pearly, vitreous, or earthy.
5. Density
- the classic formula of mass divided by volume is used to compute for the density of mineral.
- this property depends on the kinds of atoms that comprise the mineral and how its crystal structure is
packed.
6. Mineral Strength
- determine how easy the mineral breaks or deform when exposed to stress
- determine by the chemical bonds each crystal lattice
a. Hardness
- defined as the mineral’s resistance to scratching.
- measured using the Mohs scale of hardness, which assigns a certain mineral a number ranging from 1 to 10,
with 10 as the hardest.

Mohs Scale of Hardness

Mineral Scale
1. Diamond 10
2. Corundum 9
3. Topaz 8
4. Quartz 7
5. Orthoclase 6
6. Apatite 5
7. Fluorite 4
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 8. Calcite 3
9. Gypsum 2
10. Talc 1
b. Cleavage- the tendency to break along parallel layers.
c. Fracture- if the breaks in the mineral are irregular in shape.
d. Tenacity – the mineral resistance to breaking or deforming
- brittle, malleable, ductile or elastic

Large crystals are the result of a slow cooling process or high- water content.
Small or even microscopic crystals result from rapid cooling or the presence of a small volume of water.

 Rocks
- are formed from an aggregation of one or more minerals and other substances that are cohered into a
solid structure.

3 Types of Rocks:
1. Igneous Rocks – are formed when molten rocks cool and harden. The time it takes for the magma to cool
determines the texture of the rock.
Examples: andesite, basalt, rhyolite
2. Sedimentary Rocks –are formed from previously existing rocks that have been broken down into small
particles or have been dissolved in solutions. These particles are transported by moving water and are
deposited as sediments.
Examples: breccia, conglomerate, sandstone, shale, and siltstone
3. Metamorphic Rocks- are previously existing rocks that have been in contact with high temperature or
pressure, changing their chemical characteristics and turning them into a different rock.
Examples: gneiss, slate, quartzite, schist, and marble

 Rock Cycle
- the external and internal forces on earth result in a process by which rocks are continuously formed and
destroyed. This rock cycle demonstrates how rocks arise from other rocks. It also shows that all existing
rocks may have undergone countless alterations throughout earth’s history and will continue to change in
the future.
Metamorphic Melting &
Rock Cooling

Heat & Igneous

Pressure Rock

Sedimentary Weather &

Rock Erosion

Compacting &
Cementation

Processing Questions:
1. What are the physical properties of minerals used as bases for their identification?

2. What are the 3 types of rocks?

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Activity:
Answer the following questions.
1. It is the external and internal forces on earth result in a process by which rocks are continuously formed and
destroyed.

2. What is the hardest mineral based on Mohs Scale of Hardness?

3. What type of physical properties that is easy to observe but is not the most reliable reference for
identification of minerals? Explain.

4. It refers to a naturally occurring, inorganic substance with a crystalline structure.

5. Give atleast 5 examples of Igneous Rocks, Sedimentary Rocks, and Metamorphic Rocks.

Assignment:
Research about Exogenic Processes.

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