EARTH SCI REVIEWER 2

Physical and Chemical Properties of Minerals

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

● Crystal Habit - Overall shape, or growth pattern of a mineral

- Equant - The three dimensions of a mineral have about the same length like that
of a cube or sphere
- Elongate - forms prismatic or prism-like crystals that are thicker than the needle
as in a pencil

● Luster - describes the appearance of a mineral when light is reflected from its surface,
can be opaque, transparent, dull, or shiny
- Metallic Luster - is opaque and very reflective like gold and silver
- Nonmetallic Luster - is dull, silky, greasy, and pearly like silicates

● Cleavage and Fracture -refers to the tendency of minerals to break along very smooth,
flat and shiny surfaces. A mineral fracture, if it breaks along random irregular surfaces.
Some minerals break only by fracturing, while others both cleave and fracture.

● Hardness - is a measure of the mineral’s resistance to scratching. Harder minerals will

scratch softer minerals. Friedrich Mohs in 1812 ranked minerals according to hardness
as shown in table 1

● Color - is one of the most obvious properties of a mineral but not reliable alone. Some
minerals come in just one color, while others come in many colors and varieties.
- Quartz varies widely in color due to minor (parts per billion) impurities and even
defects in its crystalline structure.
● Streak - refers to the color of the mineral in its powdered form, which may or may not be
the same color as the mineral. Streak is obtained by scratching the mineral on an
 unpolished piece of white porcelain called streak plate. When the excess powder is
blown away, what remains is the color of the streak. Streak is a more reliable property
than color as streak shows the true color of minerals. It does not vary even if color does.

Additional Properties

● Magnetism - Some minerals are attracted to a hand magnet. Magnetite is the only
common mineral that is always strongly magnetic.
● Reaction with acid - some minerals, especially carbonate minerals. React visibly with
acid. (Usually a dilute hydrochloric acid is used) When a drop of HCL is placed on
calcite, it readily bubbles or effervesces releasing carbon dioxide.
● Striations - presence of very thin parallel grooves. The grooves are present in only one
of the two sets of cleavages and are the best seen with a hand lens.
● Specific Gravity - is the weight of that mineral divided by the weight of an equal volume
of water. The specific gravity of water equals 1.0 by definition. Most silicate or rock
forming minerals have specific gravities of 2.6 to 3.4; the ore minerals are usually
heavier, with specific gravities of 5 to 8.
● Taste, Odor, Feel - some minerals have a distinctive taste (halite is salt, and tastes like
it). Some a distinctive odor (the powder of some sulfide minerals, such as sphalerite, a
zinc sulfide, smells like rotten eggs) and some have a distinctive feel (talc feels slippery)

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Chemical properties of minerals show the presence and arrangement of atoms in

minerals. Using their chemical properties, minerals are identified by how they react to certain
substances.
CLASSIFICATION OF ROCKS

Igneous Rocks
● Magmatic rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava
- Intrusive Igneous Rocks
Formed from the solidification of magma below the surface. They have
large crystals of minerals that formed overtime through the slow process
of crystallization in a magma.
❖ Granite
❖ Diorite
❖ Gabbro
❖ Pegmatite
❖ Peridotite
- Extrusive Igneous Rocks
Formed through a faster rate of solidification of lava on the surface of the
Earth. They become glassy in appearance due to less crystallization or
vesicular like Scoria due to the air that was trapped inside when they
solidified and formed on the surface of the earth.
❖ Andesite
❖ Basalt
❖ Dacite
❖ Obsidian
❖ Pumice
❖ Rhyolite
❖ Tuff
Sedimentary Rock
● Formed by the deposition and cementation of mineral or organic particles on the floor of
oceans and other bodies of water at the Earth's surface
- Clastic Sedimentary Rock
Formed from the mechanical weathering debris of rocks
★ Breccia
★ Conglomerate
★ Sandstone
★ Siltstone
★ Shale
- Chemical Sedimentary Rock
Formed when dissolved materials precipitate form solution
★ Rock salt
★ Iron ore
★ Chert
★ Flint
★ Dolomites
- Organic Sedimentary Rock
Formed from the build-up of plant or animal debris
Metamorphic Rock
● Forms from existing rock types called “parent rock” in the process called metamorphism,
which means change in form. The original rock which can be an igneous, sedimentary,
or other metamorphic rock is subjected to heat and pressure causing a profound
chemical or physical change
- Foliated Metamorphic rocks
Formed through pressure due to compression of rocks that create bands
called foliation
★ Gneiss
★ Phyllite
★ Schist
★ Slate
- Nonfoliated Metamorphic rocks
Has no foliation or bends
★ Hornfels
★ Marble
★ Quartzite
★ Novaculite

IMPORTANT MINERALS TO SOCIETY

● In households, we use toothpaste that contains fluoride from fluorite minerals.

● Face powder contains talc, the softest mineral.
● In the kitchen, salts are commonly used to enhance the flavor of our food
● Kitchen utensils like casserole are made of aluminum, a light and durable metal that
contains iron, chromium, and carbon.
● Minerals such as silicon, silver, and gold are used as components for cellphones and
computers
● Copper is mostly used in electrical wiring

Minerals in Construction
Skyscrapers use minerals like iron steel, a combination of iron and carbon and concrete
that contains limestones, lime and chalk that make them strong and stand still against
strong wind and earthquakes. They also use glass made from quartz and silica. Floors
are made up of granite and marbles. Aluminum is used in window and door panels.

Minerals in Healthcare
In dentistry, dentists use Titanium for teeth transplant. They use gypsum in plaster cast,
and alloys line stainless steel composed of iron, chromium, and carbon in their tools.

Minerals in Industry
Power Plants use minerals to provide electricity and energy. Nuclear power plants used
minerals like Uranium as a source of heat energy to run a nuclear reactor. They also
 use the mineral coal to generate electricity. On the other hand, batteries for electric cars
need minerals like nickel, copper, and lithium.

Minerals in Agriculture
NPK fertilizers contain vital minerals for the plant to grow healthy. These minerals
include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Minerals like lime are used to lower
the acidity of the soil.

Minerals in Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry manufactures supplements that contain many essential
minerals that keep us strong and healthy like calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

Minerals can also cause harm among humans, Talc might contain asbestos that can cause
certain cancer. Nuclear power plants that use radioactive minerals produce radioactive waste.
Burning of coals releases high amounts of carbon dioxide and other gasses that contribute to
global warming. Overusing synthetic fertilizer causes eutrophication of bodies of water.