objectives define mineral and compare the two main groups identify the six types of silicate...
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Objectives• Define mineral and Compare the two main groups
• Identify the six types of silicate crystalline structures.
• Describe three common nonsilicate crystalline structures.
• Describe seven physical properties that help distinguish one mineral from another.
• List five special properties that may help identify certain minerals.
Mineral Identification Basics• Mineral: neral: a solid with an orderly a solid with an orderly
internal structureinternal structure
• To be a mineral, a substance To be a mineral, a substance must have must have 4 characteristics:4 characteristics:
1.1. must be inorganicmust be inorganic—not —not made of living thingsmade of living things
2.2. must occur naturallymust occur naturally——not man-madenot man-made
3.3. must be a crystalline must be a crystalline solidsolid
4.4. must have a consistent must have a consistent chemical compositionchemical composition
Cubic Fluorite Crystal
Characteristics of Minerals
The diagram below shows the 4 characteristics of minerals
Silicate Minerals• All minerals can be classified
into two main groups—silicate minerals and nonsilicate minerals
• Silicate mineral: a mineral which contains silicon and oxygen, and may contain one or more metals– Common silicate minerals
include quartz, feldspars, and micas
– Silicate minerals make up 96% of Earth’s crust. Quartz and feldspar alone make up more than 50% of the crust.
Nonsilicate Minerals• Nonsilicate mineral: a
mineral that does not contain silicon and oxygen– comprise about 4% of
Earth’s crust– organized into six major
groups.
1. Carbonates2. Halides3. native elements4. Oxides5. Sulfates6. sulfides
Crystalline Structure• Crystal: a solid whose
atoms, or molecules are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern
• Each mineral has a specific geometric arrangement of atoms, also known as its crystalline structure.
• Scientists study the structure of crystals using X rays. These produce an image which shows the geometric arrangement of atoms in the crystal.
Physical Properties of Minerals• Mineralogist: a person who
examines, analyzes, and classifies minerals
• Each mineral has specific properties, which are the result of its composition and crystalline structure. These properties provide useful clues for identifying minerals.
• The 6 properties used to classify minerals are:
1. Color2. Streak3. Luster4. Cleavage5. Fracture6. Hardness
Color
• Color: most noticeable property, but least-accurate method for identifying a mineral
Many minerals have similar colors
Streak
• Streak: color of a mineral in powdered form• More reliable than color
for mineral identification• Determined by rubbing
the mineral against a streak plate
• The streak is often different from the apparent color of an unground sample
• The streak color of a mineral will always be the same, even it its external color varies
Most metallic minerals have a dark streak
Magnetite
Galena
Chalcopyrite and Galena
Graphite
…while most nonmetals have a light streak
calcite
Peridot (polished)
Amethyst
Citrine
Luster
• Luster: The quality and intensity of light reflected from the surface of a mineral
• Luster is either metallic or nonmetallic
Metallic Luster• Metal-like shine• Dark Streak
Nonmetallic Luster
• More common• Light streak color
Cleavage and Fracture• Cleavage: tendency of a mineral
to split• Occurs due to weakness in structure
of mineral
• Fracture: the way a mineral breaks along either curved, or irregular surfaces
• Uneven or irregular fractures have rough surfaces.
• Curved fractures are smooth
Hardness• Hardness: measure of
resistance to scratching
• A harder substance will scratch a softer substance
• Hardness can be determined by comparing the mineral to those on the Mohs hardness scale ->
Mohs Hardness Scale
Magnetism
•Magnetism: ability of a mineral to act as a magnet
•Most commonly associated with minerals rich in iron
•Minerals rich in iron are called magnetites
•Iron is highly magnetic…remember this!
This is a piece of iron with a magnet attached
Magnetism
This is a sample of “black sand” from Lynx Creek, Arizona. Its dark color is due to its high concentration of magnetite. See what happens when a magnet is place beneath the bottom right portion of the paper?
This technique is used to separate out much of the unwanted material in the search for gold.
Magnetism
Lodestone is a variety of Magnetite which is a
natural magnet.
Fluorescence
• A few minerals have some additional, special properties
• The ability to glow under ultraviolet light is called fluorescence.
• Fluorescent minerals absorb ultraviolet light and then produce visible light of various colors.
Willemite
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