ROCK-

FORMING
MINERALS
Kristy Nillet P. Adobas
Objective:

•Identify common rock-

forming minerals using their
physical and chemical
properties.
 DISCLOSURE
• The pictures and videos presented in this context are not

mine and have been sourced from Google and YouTube. I

do not claim any ownership or copyright over them, and

their usage here is purely for illustrative and informative

purposes. No copyright infringement or unauthorized use

is intended.
Things to ponder:
"Like rock-forming minerals, embrace your
strength and let it crystallize into a masterpiece.
Endure the pressure, face the challenges, and
transform your inner potential into solid success.”
 MINERALS
•Minerals are an essential component of the
Earth’s lithosphere.
•They are naturally occurring materials that
play a significant role in human civilization.
•Minerals are the building blocks of
rocks.
 Criteria:
1. Naturally occurring.
2. Inorganic
3. Homogenous solid
4. Has definite chemical composition.
5. Has orderly crystalline structure.
 PHYSICAL
PROPERTIES OF
MINERALS
 COLOR

•It refers to certain

wavelengths of light
reflected by a mineral and is
perceived by the observer.
•The most observable
characteristic of a mineral
but not a reliable one.
 STREAK
•The color of the powdered form of a
mineral.
•It is inherent to almost all minerals.
•It is a better diagnostic property compared
to color.
 STREAK
•Note that the color of a certain mineral could
be different from the streak.
 HARDNESS
•It is the measure of the resistance of a
mineral to abrasion or scratching.

•Friedrich Mohs, in 1812, ranked minerals

according to hardness.
 CLEAVAGE
•It is defined as the tendency of a crystallized
mineral to break along certain definite
planes yielding a more or less smooth
surface.
•It is also described based on perfection or
the degree of easiness with which minerals
can split along the cleavage planes.
 FRACTURE
•It is the pattern in which the mineral breaks
aside from its planes and cleavage.
•Some minerals may not have cleavages but
exhibit broken surfaces that are irregular
and non-planar.
•Examples: Conchoidal, fibrous, hackly,
uneven
 FRACTURE
•The fractures of a mineral may be defined as
the appearance of its broken surface.
 CRYSTAL HABIT
•It refers to the overall shape or growth
pattern of a mineral.
•It is the characteristic shape in which a
mineral grows and is a projection of the
mineral’s crystal structure.
AMORPHOUS
MINERAL
 LUSTER
•It is the relative differences in the opacity
and transparency of a mineral as light is
reflected on its surface.
•This describes the “sparkles” of the mineral
surface.
1. Metallic- generally
opaque and exhibit a
resplendent shine
similar to polished
metal.
2. Non-metallic- vitreous
(glassy), adamantine
(brilliant/diamond-
like), resinous, silky,
pearly, dull (earthy),
greasy, among others
DIAPHENITY/AMOUNT OF
TRANSPARENCY
•Ability to allow light to
pass through it.
•This is affected by the
chemical makeup of the
mineral sample.
 TENACITY
•It describes the mineral’s reaction to stress.
•It is the resistance of minerals to breaking,
crushing, or bending.
•Mineral’s tenacity can be described as:
brittle, malleable, sectile, ductile, flexible,
elastic.
 ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES
•MAGNETISM- Some minerals are attracted to
a hand magnet.

Example: Magnetite is the only mineral that

is consistently highly magnetic.
 ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES
• STRIATIONS - presence of very thin,
parallel grooves. Ex: Plagioclase
Feldspar
• Before you decide if there are no
striations, look at all parts of all
visible cleavage surfaces, moving the
sample around as you look, wherein
light is reflected from these surfaces
at different angles.
 ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES
•SPECIFIC GRAVITY- the weight of that
mineral divided by the weight of an equal
volume of water.
 ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES
•Taste, Odor, Feel - some minerals have a
distinctive taste (halite salt, and tastes like
it). Some give off 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 OF
MINERALS
 SOLUBILITY
• It refers to the
ability of a
substance to
dissolve in a
solvent at a
specified
temperature.
MELTING
POINT
CLASSIFICATION
OF
MINERALS
Eight abundant chemical elements
dominate the crust of the Earth:
•Oxygen 47% •Potassium 2.6%
•Silicon 27% •Magnesium 2%
•Aluminum 8% and all other
•Iron 5% elements about 1
•Calcium 3.6% %
•Sodium 2.8%
 JAMES
DWIGHT DANA
•A geologist,
mineralogist, and
zoologist who created
the mineral
classification system
known as the Dana
Classification System.
SILICATES

•This is the largest group of minerals.

• It is the mineral containing the two most
abundant elements in the Earth’s crust:
SILICON and OXYGEN.
•Example: FELDSPAR
CARBONATES

•Represent compounds of carbon and oxygen

with various metals.
•Carbonates are soft and dissolve readily in
acid.
•Example: Calcite, Dolomite
OXIDES

•It is formed from the combination of a

metal with oxygen.
This group ranges from dull ores like
bauxite to gems like rubies and sapphires.
•Example: MAGNETITE, HERMATITE
SULFIDES

•These are made of compounds of sulfur,

usually with a metal.
•They tend to be heavy and brittle.
•Example: PYRITE
SULFATES

•These are made of compounds of sulfur

combined with metals and oxygen.
•It is a large group of minerals that tend to
be soft and translucent.
•Example: GYPSUM
HALIDES

•These form from halogen elements like

chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and iodine
combined with metallic elements.
•They are very soft and easily dissolved in
water.
•Example: HALITE
NATIVE ELEMENTS

•These minerals naturally occur in nature in

an uncombined form with a distinct mineral
structure.
•It can be classified as metal, semi-metals,
and non-metals.
 PHOSPHATES, TUNGSTATE,
MOLYBDATES, VANADATES,
ARSENATES, AND OTHERS
• This group's representative minerals are
oxygen plus nonmetals and metals such as
phosphorous, tungsten, molybdenum,
uranium, vanadium, and arsenic.
•Example: WOLFRAMITE
 MINERALOID
• It is a mineral-like substance that does not
demonstrate crystallinity.
•Mineraloids possess chemical compositions
that vary beyond the generally accepted
ranges for specific minerals.
•Example: OPAL
COMMON ROCK-
FORMING
MINERALS
FELDSPAR GROUP

•It is the most abundant of all minerals.

•Light-colored rock-forming minerals.
•It is non-metallic and silicate minerals.
•Colour varies from red, pink, and white
(orthoclase) to green, grey, and white
(plagioclase)
QUARTZ GROUP
•It is an essential rock-forming mineral next
to feldspar.
•It is a non-metallic refractory mineral.
•It is a glassy looking, transparent or
translucent mineral which varies in color
from white and grey to smoky.
•It is a silicate group.
 PYROXENES GROUP
•They commonly occur in dark colors and
igneous and metamorphic rocks.
•They are rich in calcium, magnesium, iron,
and silicates.
•It shows a single chain structure of silicate.
•The most common pyroxene mineral is
Augite.
AMPHIBOLE GROUP

•They are closely related to the pyroxene

group.
•Rich in calcium, magnesium, iron oxide, and
Mn, Na, K, and H.
•It is dark, and Hornblende is the most
common amphibole.
 MICA GROUP
•Mica is any group of hydrous potassium
aluminum silicate minerals.
•Form sheet-like structure.
•Can be split into very thin sheets along one
direction.
•Rich in aluminum and magnesium.
 MICA GROUP
•Occupy 4% of Earth’s crust
•Mica may be white and pearly (muscovite) or
dark and shiny (biotite).
 OLIVINE GROUP
•It is known for its distinct olive-green color and
is commonly used in the gemstone industry as
peridot.
•It is glassy looking and transparent substance
that is almost as hard as quartz.
OTHER COMMON ROCK-
FORMING MINERALS
•Calcite
•Clays
•Magnetite
•Pyrite
•Talc