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MINERALS
CVE104
GROUP 2
MEMBERS
https://www.rocksmineralscollections.com/cleavage-collection.php
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mohs-
relative-hardness-scale-examples-of-minerals-of-
each-hardness-level-and-common_tbl1_328831112
Tendency for a mineral to break along a certain direction.
3 FRACTURE
CONCHOIDAL UNEVEN
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgeologypics.com
https://kaiserscience.wordpress.com/2020/07/31/cleavage-and-fracture/
%2F140429-
magnetite-uneven-fracture/
2%2F&psig=AOvVaw0WLcv4NgTDxWZdUCVUtFOd&ust=1664017773091000&s
ource=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCPClt7zjqvoCFQAAAAAdAAAAAB
AD
SPLINTERY
HACKLY
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4 TENACITY 5 CRYSTAL FORM
6 SPECIFIC GRAVITY
8 DIAPHANEITY
https://opengeology.org/historicalgeology/tools-of-historical-geology/earth-materials-mineral-
identification/
• Translucent
VITREOUS GREASY ADAMANTINE
https://opengeology.org/historicalgeology/tools-of-historical-geology/earth-materials-mineral-
identification/ • Transparent
SUBMETALLIC • Opaque
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tools-of-historical-geology/earth-materials- %2Fmineral_classification&psig=AOvVaw2k44HlrF13glweM7DJxz_U&ust=1
mineral-identification/ 664023108203000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCNCQm
6T3qvoCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Rock-Forming
Minerals
Minerals that are the main constituents of rocks are called
rock-forming minerals. Despite the fact that there are a huge
number of minerals known occurring on earth the majority of
rocks on earth are composed of 5 or 6 minerals. The variation
in the proportion amongst these rock-forming minerals
formed the various rocks
A. Silicates
B. Oxides
C. Carbonates
D. Sulfates
SILICATES
quartz
COLOR: white, gray, black, rose
HARDNESS: 7
calcite dolomite
COLOR: colorless or white but may be COLOR: white to multicolored
stained HARDNESS: 3.5 – 4
HARDNESS: 3 LUSTER: vitreous to pearly
LUSTER: vitreous, if massive, dull CRYSTAL FORM: rhombohedral (crystals are
CRYSTAL FORM: rhombohedral rare)
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 2.71 SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 2.8 – 2.9
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: CaCO3 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: CaMg(CO3)2
SULFATES
anhydrite gypsum
COLOR: white but may be tinted COLOR: colorless to white, may be tinted
HARDNESS: 3 – 3.5 various colors
LUSTER: pearly, glassy, massive-dull HARDNESS: 1.5 - 2
CRYSTAL FORM: orthorhombic. usually FRACTURE & TENACITY: foliated. conchoidal
granular to compact masses LUSTER: glassy, pearly white, fibrous-satiny,
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 2.95 massive-dull
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: CaSO4
CRYSTAL FORM: monoclinic
• Formed by a single silica sheet and a single alumina sheet. • Occurs in round/flattened tubes.
• Particles forming the kaolinite minerals are generally distinguished • When wet, the material acts as roller bearings
as aggregates of hexagonal flakes. causing flow/creeps
• Kaolinites form stable clays because their structure resist water and • Unsuitable as embankment material
its destabilizing effect.
CHEMICAL FORMULAS OF KAOLINITE
• Kaolinites are moderately plastic and have a larger internal friction • Al2O3·2SiO2·2H2O
coefficient. • H4Al2Si2O9
• Kaolinites cannot expand or heave (unless they have expandable
• Sheets are loosely bound, hence the material is unstable, especially • An expansive montmorillonite
• Montmorillonites expand easily with water, causing the material to • Useful for engineering practice, especially for
have a high plasticity and a low internal friction coefficient preventing leakage
• A drying montmorillonite is subject to high shrinkage and cracking, • Can be mixed with local soil for canal linings
pavements and slabs, and sliding and flowing of slopes (in wet SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 2.2-2.7
weather).
ILLITES
• The structural unit of this type of clay is similar to a montmorillonite, albeit chemically different.
• Illites frequently form aggregates. The aggregate-like structural has less surface to attract water, thus it has limited hydration
capacity.
• Has lesser expansive properties and have higher internal friction coefficient than montmorillonites.
Base Exchange
(Cation Exchange)
When a liquid with a high concentration of one type of base
interacts with a mineral containing numerous types of bases, the The amount of negative charges in the soil that are capable
mineral, and the liquid may exchange cations (positively charged of absorbing cations from plant nutrients is known as the
ions), occasionally in a rapid reaction. This is the base exchange— cation exchange capacity (CEC).
more precisely, the cation exchange—which occurs more As a result, the CEC is a characteristic of soil that identifies
recurrently in clay minerals than in other minerals. how well it can deliver nutrient cations to the soil solution for
Due to their natural tendency to have negative charges, soil clay plant absorption.
The commonly exchangeable cations in clay minerals are
minerals, and organic matter use electrostatic forces to attract
Na+, K+, Ca++, Mg++, H +, and (NH4) +.
cations to their surfaces.
The phrase "cation exchange" denotes how easily the absorbed
cations can swap places with other cations in the soil solution. THE EFFECT OF SOIL pH on CEC
The cations consequently stay in the soil's root zone and are less
likely to be lost by leaching. The CEC of soil organic matter and some clay
minerals fluctuates with pH, and in general, the
When soil ion concentrations fall as a result of plant root uptake,
CEC is lowest at soil pHs of 3.5 to 4.0 and rises
the absorbed cations replace the lost ions
as the pH is raised by liming an acidic soil.
Solid components in the soil can modify the chemistry of the soil It is customary to assess a soil's CEC at a pH of
through cation exchange. 7.0 because CEC can fluctuate significantly with
soil pH.
Since it essentially shows the soil's ability to hold onto a variety of
Additionally, keep in mind that some positive
nutrients in a form that is accessible to plants, it can be used as a charges may exist on some soil mineral surfaces at
gauge of soil fertility low pH, which retains anions (negatively charged
ions) like chloride (Cl-) and sulfate (SO42-).
Soil and Soil CEC The table displays the usual cation exchange capabilities of
(meq/100 g) soil clay minerals and soils with different textures. Since soil is
Components made up of a variety of different particle sizes (sand, silt, and
CLAY TYPE clay), clay mineral types, and organic matter in varying
Kaolinite 3-15 amounts, its CEC is determined by its main components, soil
The CEC of soil influences fertilization and liming procedures. In contrast to low-CEC soils, high-CEC
soils, for instance, retain more nutrients.
Nutrient loss is more likely to happen through leaching when significant amounts of fertilizers are
administered in a single application to sandy soils with low CEC. In clay soils, however, these nutrients
are far less prone to lose.
Crop production causes acidification of the soil. As a result of crop production on low CEC soils, soil pH
will decline more.
The pH variations from crop production are often significantly less in high CEC soils since they are
normally adequately buffered.
As a result, sandy soils with low CEC levels require lime application more often but at a lower rate than
clay soils.
Due to the higher quantity of acidic cations in high CEC soils at a given pH, higher lime rates are
necessary to achieve an ideal pH.
REFERENCES
Dimitri, K. and Judd, W., (1957). Principles of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics.
King, H. M. (n.d.) Minerals. A group of common sheet silicate materials. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://geology.com/minerals/
Lacey, J. A. (2018, November). Wear Properties of Ash Minerals in Biomass. Retrieved September 23, 2022 from
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mohs-relative-hardness-scale-examples-of-minerals-of-each-hardness-level-and-
common_tbl1_328831112.
Madhu. (2022, January 16). What is the Difference Between Cation Exchange Capacity and Anion Exchange Capacity. Compare the Difference Between
Similar Terms. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.differencebetween.com/what-is-the-difference-between-cation-exchange-
capacity-and-anion-exchange-capacity/
Saha, U. K. (2012, June 1). Cation Exchange Capacity and Base Saturation. UGA Cooperative Extension. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1040#:%7E:text=Cation%20exchange%20capacity%20(CEC)%20is,soil
%20solution%20for%20plant%20uptake.