MINERALS

AND
ROCKS
HOW DO ROCKS
FORM?
 ROCK FORMING MINERALS

ROCKS – ARE CONSIST OF MINERALS

MINERALS – IS A MATERIAL THAT OCCURS NATURALLY
- GENERALLY STRONG, CRYSTALLINE, STABLE
AND INORGANIC
 MINERALS THAT FORM ROCKS

• FELDSPAR • OLIVINE
• QUARTZ • GRENADE
• AMPHIBOLES • CALCITE
• MICAS • PYROXENE
 CLASSIFICATION OF MINERAL DEPOSITS

• METALLIC MINERALS
• NON-METALLIC MINERALS
 CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS

1. NATURALLY OCCURING
- It is not manufacture by human
- They are formed by natural geological process not by the
hands of people
 CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS

2. INORGANIC
- it cannot arise from materials that were once part of a living
thing
 CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS

3. SOLID
- with definite volume and shape in order for it to meet
the other characteristic which is the crystal structure.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS

4. CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
- The particles of a mineral line up in a pattern that
repeats periodically and this repeating pattern of a
mineral’s particles form a solid called crystal.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS

5. DEFINITE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

- it always contains certain elements in definite
proportions.
 IDENTIFICATION OF MINERALS

• PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

• CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIESS OF MINERALS

1. COLOR
- It is easily observed physical property but also the less
reliable since it can only be used to identify those few
minerals that always have their own characteristic color
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIESS OF MINERALS

2. STREAK
- The color of the mineral in its powdered form.
- It can be tested using streak test.
- You can observe a streak by rubbing a mineral against a piece of
unglazed tile called a streak plate.
- Surprisingly, the color of the streak and the mineral color are often
different from each other
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIESS OF MINERALS

3. LUSTER
- is the term used to describe how mineral reflects light from its
surface.
- It is the relative differences in the opacity and transparency of a
mineral as light is reflected on its surface.
- Minerals containing metals are often shiny.
- Other minerals, such as quartz, have a glassy luster.
 CATEGORIES OF LUSTER

METALLIC LUSTER NON-METALLIC LUSTER

• HARD SHINY LOOK LIKE • MAYBE SHINY BUT SOME

POLISHED METAL LIGHT IS ABLE TO
PENETRATE
• LIGHT IS UNABLE TO
• INCLUDES GLASSY, WAXY,
PENETRATE PEARLY AND EARTHY
• EX. PYRITE, GALENA (DULL) LUSTERS
AND MAGNETITE • EX. CALCITE, QUARTZ AND
FELDSPAR
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIESS OF MINERALS

4. DENSITY
- No matter what size of a mineral sample, the density of that mineral always remains
the same.
- When geologist measures density, they use balance to determine the mass of the
mineral precisely.
- The mineral is also placed in water to determine how much water it displaces thus
getting its specific gravity
- SPECIFIC GRAVITY - is the ratio of the weight of the mineral to the weight of the
water with an equal volume.
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIESS OF MINERALS

5. HARDNESS
- refers to the measure of the resistance of a surface to
abrasions or scratches.
- It is generally measured using Mohs Scale of
Hardness that was invented by an Austrian mineral
expert, Friedrich Mohs
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIESS OF MINERALS

6. CLEAVAGE AND FRACTURE

- CLEAVAGE - If a certain mineral has the tendency to
be split or broken along flat surfaces
- FRACTURE - refers to the texture or shape of the
mineral’s surface when the mineral breaks into irregular way
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIESS OF MINERALS

7. CRYSTAL HABIT
- Refers to the growth crystal pattern of a mineral as single or
aggregated.
- It is the natural shape of the mineral before the development of
any cleavage or fracture.
- Examples include prismatic, tabular, bladed, platy and equant
 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

The chemical properties of minerals depend on

their chemical formula and crystal structure.
Solubility and melting point are chemical
properties commonly used to describe a mineral.
 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

• Solubility - refers the ability of a substance to dissolve in

a solvent at a specified
temperature.
• Melting point - refers to the temperature at which solid
turns into liquid. Minerals composed of atoms that are tightly
bonded within the crystal structure have high melting points.