College of African Wildlife

Management

Technician Certificate in WM/T

Materials of Earth
Earth Materials
 Objectives
• Explain the different kinds of bonds and describe
their influence on mineral characteristics
• Define and distinguish between minerals and
rocks
• List key properties used to identify minerals
• Identify most common mineral families and
accessory mineral families
• Explain what holds rocks together
 Elements and Compounds
• Element
– the most fundamental
substance into which matter
can be separated using
chemical means
• Atom
– the smallest individual
particle that retains the
distinct chemical properties
of an element
• Isotopes
– Atoms with the same atomic
number but different mass
numbers
Elements and Compounds
 Compounds, molecules and bonding
• Compound
– A combination of atoms of one or more elements in a specific ratio
• Molecule
– The smallest chemical unit that has all properties of a particular compound
 Compounds, molecules and bonding
• Bond
– The force that holds together the
atoms in a chemical compound
• Ionic bonding
• Covalent bonding
• Metallic bonding
• Van der Waals bonding
 Compounds, molecules and bonding
• Ionic Bonding
– One atom transfers electron to another, which creates bond
– Table salt (sodium chloride)
– Cubic lattice
– Moderate strength and hardness
 Compounds, molecules and bonding
• Covalent Bond
– Electrons from different atoms “pair up”, which creates a bond
– Does NOT produce ions
– Strongest of chemical bonds
 Compounds, molecules and bonding
• Metallic Bond
– Electrons shared among several atoms
– Outer electrons may drift between each other
– Typically good conductors of electricity
 Compounds, molecules and bonding
• Van der Waals Bond
– Attraction between electrically neutral molecules with asymmetrical
charge
– Form sheets
• Considered weak between sheets
• May feel slippery between sheets
 What Are Earth Materials?
• An earth material is any natural material that
is not now living on the earth’s surface.
 Vocabulary

• Geology: the study of the Earth

• Geologist: A Scientist who studies Earth

materials, such as the rocks and minerals on
the Earth
 Vocabulary
• Minerals: one ingredient in the earth’s crust that
can’t be broken down - minerals make up rocks
• Rocks: earth materials made up of different
ingredients called minerals – rocks are made up of
more than one mineral/ingredient
• Property: something you can observe, such as size,
color, shape, or texture
• Crystal: the solid form of a material that can be
identified by its shape or pattern
 What is the difference in rocks
and minerals?

Rocks Minerals
• Made up of different • Made up of only one
ingredients ingredient
• Rocks can be broken • Minerals can’t be
down into different broken down any more.
minerals.