Mineral

Naturally-occurring,inorganic solid
with a definite chemical composition
and an ordered internal structure.
Characteristics of Mineral

Naturally-occurring
Inorganic
Solid
Definitechemical composition
Ordered internal structure
Mineral Properties
Luster
 it is the quality and intensity of reflected light exhibited by the
mineral

Metallic – generally opaque and exhibit a resplendent shine similar to a

polished metal

Non-metallic – vitreous (glassy), adamantine (brilliant/diamond-like),

resinous, silky, pearly, dull (earthy), greasy, etc.
Hardness
 it is a measure of the resistance of a mineral (not specifically surface)
to abrasion.

Mohs Scale of Hardness

 Friedrich Mohs (1812)
 compares the resistance of a mineral
 relative to the 10 reference minerals with known hardness. It is
simply determining the hardness of a
 mineral by scratching them with common objects of known hardness
(e.g. copper coin -3.0-3.5)
Color and streak
Streak
 color of a mineral in powdered form
 Obtained by rubbing the mineral on an abrasive ceramic called streak
plate

 color of a mineral could be different from the streak

Eg. Pyrite (FeS2) exhibits

Color: golden color
Streak: black or dark gray streak
Color vs. streak
Streak
 inherent to almost every mineral

Color
 Color maybe unreliable for identification as impurities within the
minerals may give the minerals a different color.
Crystal Form/Habit
 The external shape of a crystal or groups of crystals is
displayed / observed as these crystals grow in open
spaces.
 The form reflects the supposedly internal structure (of
atoms and ions) of the crystal (mineral).
 It is the natural shape of the mineral before the
development of any cleavage or fracture.
Crystal Form/Habit
 Examples:
 prismatic
 tabular
 bladed
 Platy
 Reniform
 equant
 A mineral that do not have a crystal structure is described as
amorphous.
Cleavage
 is the property of some minerals to break along parallel repetitive
planes of weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces.
 These planes of weakness are inherent in the bonding of atoms that
makes up the mineral.
 These planes of weakness are parallel to the atomic planes and
appear to be repeating within the mineral.
 When minerals break evenly in more than one direction, cleavage is
described by the number of cleavage directions and the angle(s)
between planes
Fracture

 exhibit broken surfaces that are irregular and non-planar.

Example:
Quartz
 inherent weakness in the crystal structure that is not planar.

Example of fracture
 Conchoidal
 Fibrous
 Hackly
 uneven among others
Specific Gravity

 ratioof the weight of a mineral to the

weight of an equal volume of water.
 Itis a measure to express the density (mass
per unit volume) of a mineral.
 Thespecific gravity of a mineral is
numerically equal to density.
Others
 Magnetism
 Eg. Magnetite
 Odor
 Eg. Sulfur
 Taste
 Eg. Halite (salty)
 Reaction to acid or Effervescence
 Eg. Calcite and other carbonate fizzes with acid as with dolomite
but in powdered form
 Fee
 Eg. Talc (greasy)
Composition of
Minerals
Silicates
 minerals containing 2 of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s
crust, namely, silicon and oxygen.
 when linked together, these two elements form the silicon oxygen
tetrahedron – the fundamental building block of silicate minerals.
 over 90% of the rock-forming minerals belong to this group.
 aside from Si (46.6 % by wt.) and O (27.7%), the other most common
elements that make the earth’s crust are Al (8.1), Fe (5.0), Ca (3.6),
Mg (3.1), Na (2.8) and K 2.6).
Oxides
minerals containing Oxygen anion
(O2-) combined with one or more
metal ions
Sulfates
minerals containing Sulfur and Oxygen
anion (SO4)- combined with other ions
Sulfides
 minerals containing sulfur anion (S2)-
combined with one or more ions. Some
sulfides are sources of economically
important metals such as copper, lead and
zinc.
Carbonates
minerals containing the carbonate
anion (CO3)2- combined with other
elements
Native Elements
 minerals that form as individual elements

Metals and Inter-metals

 minerals with high thermal and electrical conductivity, typically
withmetallic luster, low hardness (gold, lead)
Semi-metals
 minerals that are more fragile than metals and have lower
conductivity (arsenic,bismuth)
Nonmetals
 nonconductive (sulfur, diamond)
Halides
mineralscontaining halogen elements
combined with one or more elements
Activity

Selectten (10) different rock-forming

minerals and determine the different
properties that can be used to identify
them.
Assignment

 Thinkof 5 minerals and their common uses

and identify the specific
property/properties that made them for
that purpose.