MINERALS
and
ROCKS
MINERAL
- a homogenous, naturally
occurring substance
formed through geological
processes.
- chemical composition
- highly ordered atomic
structure
- specific physical
properties
Physical Properties
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
Classified based on their crystal
structure.
Describes the orderly geometric
spatial arrangement of atoms in
the internal structure of a mineral.
Mineral Name Halite (table salt)
Chemical composition NaCl
Luster Non-metallic-vitreous; transparent
to translucent
Hardness Soft (2-2.5)
Color White
Streak White
Crystal Form/Habit Cubic
Cleavage Perfect cubic
Specific Gravity Light (2.2)
Other Salty taste; very soluble; produces
reddish spark in flame
The luster of a mineral is the way its
surface reflects light
glassy
metallic
LUSTER
adamantine
waxy
pearly dull
LUSTER
Qualitative terms
➢ Metallic (galena and pyrite)
➢ Vitreous or glass (silicates)
➢ Pearly (talc)
➢ Dull (hematite)
➢ Greasy (halite)
➢ Silky (gypsum)
LUSTER
LUSTER
HARDNESS
Refersto the mineral resistance to
scratch.
Thisproperty is dependent on the
chemical composition and the crystalline
structure of a mineral.
Themost common scale of
measurement is Mohs’ scale.
Mohs’ Scale
Design by German Field Hardness Scale
geologist/mineralogist This is done by
Friedrich Mohs in 1812
rubbing the mineral
Described by ten against the fingers
indications.
or other tools.
A mineral with a
higher index can
scratch those below
it.
TheMohs scale of Hardness measures
the scratch resistance of various
minerals from a scale of 1 to 10, based
on the ability of a harder
material/mineral to scratch a softer
one.
Mohs Scale
Pros Cons
The test is easy The scale is qualitative,
The test can be done not quantitative
anywhere, anytime, as The test cannot be used
long as there is sufficient to accurately test the
light to see scratches hardness of industrial
The test is convenient for materials
field geologist with
scratch kits who want to
make a rough
identification of minerals
outside the lab
Field Hardness Guide
Scale Description
1 Can be rubbed off on a finger
2 Can be scratch with a finger nail.
3 Can be scratch with a coin.
4 Can be scratched with difficulty with a knife
5 Can be scratched with a knife blade
6 Can be scratched with a piece of glass
7 Can be scratched with a piece of quartz
8-10 Minerals too hard to be included in this scale.
Hardness Mohs scale
1 talc 2 gypsum 3 calcite 4 fluorite 5 apatite
6 feldspar 7 quartz 8 topaz 9 corundum 10 diamond
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTAL 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 & ions)
of the crystal (mineral)
CRYSTAL HABIT
it is the natural shape of the
mineral before the development
of any cleavage or fracture
A mineral that do not have a
crystal structure is described as
amorphous
CRYSTAL HABIT
Refers to the overall shape of
crystal.
Common shape include
needlelike(acicular), plantlike
(dendritic), kidney shaped
(reniform), bladed, elongated, in
one direction (prismatic) and
tabular.
CRYSTAL HABIT
CRYSTAL HABIT
COLOR
A lot of minerals can exhibit same or
similar colors. Individual minerals can also
display a variety of colors resulting from
impurities and also from some geologic
processes like weathering
E.g. of coloring
quartz can be pink (rose quartz),
purple (amethyst), orange (citrine),
white (colorless quartz)
COLOR
STREAK
Itis inherent in almost every
mineral, and is a more diagnostic
property compared to color. Note
that the color of a mineral can be
different from its streak.
E.g.pyrite (FeS2) exhibits gold color
but has a black or dark gray streak
The color of a mineral when it is
powdered is called the
streak of the mineral.
Streak
CLEAVAGE
The property of some minerals to break
along specific planes of weakness to form
smooth, flat surfaces
These planes exist because the bonding of
atoms making up the mineral happens to
be weak in those areas
When mineral break evenly in more than
one direction, cleavage is described by
the number of cleavage directions, the
angles at which they meet and the quality
of cleavage (e.g. cleavage in 2 directions
at 90º)
CLEAVAGE
Cleavage is different from habit; the two
are distinct, unrelated properties. Both are
dictated by crystal structure, crystal habit
forms as the mineral is growing, relying on
how the atoms in the crystal come
together. Cleavage, is the weak plane
that developed after the crystal is formed
cleavage
Cleavage is the way a mineral
breaks. It refers to the minerals
resistance to being broken.
1 direction - mica 2 directions - feldspar 3 directions - calcite
fracture
Fracture is breakage that is not flat.
It is the texture and shape of a rocks
surface.
conchoidal
(shell-shaped)
uneven
heft
how heavy a mineral feels in the
hand, an informal sense of density.
taste
definitive for halite (rock salt), of course,
but a few other evaporite minerals also have
distinctive tastes
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
The ratio of the density of the
mineral and the density of water
This parameter indicates how many
times more the mineral weighs
compared to an equal amount of
water (SG 1)
E.g. a bucket of silver (SG 10)
would weigh ten times more than a
bucket of water
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
Silicates
➢ minerals containing the two most 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 rock-forming minerals belong to
this group.
Oxides
minerals composed of oxygen anion
(O2 -) combined with one or more
metal ions
Sulfates
➢ mineralscontaining sulfur and oxygen in
the form of the (SO4)- anion
Sulfides
minerals
containing sulfur and a metal;
some sulfides are sources of
economically important metals such as
copper, lead, and zinc.
Sulfides
Carbonates
mineralscontaining the carbonate
(CO3)2 - anion combined with other
elements
Carbonates
mineralscontaining the carbonate
(CO3)2 - anion combined with other
elements
Native Elements
Metals & Intermetals
minerals with high thermal and electrical
conductivity, typically with metallic 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
minerals
containing halogen elements
combined with one or more metals
rock
A rock is a naturally occurring
aggregate of minerals and/or
other rock fragments
Igneous rocks
- formed from molten rock material
Igneous rocks
- Formed when magma
cools deep within the
Earth’s surface
- Cools very slowly as it is
in contact with molten
rock
- Produces course-grained
igneous rock. Intrusive Igneous Rock
Igneous rocks
- Magma that cools
above the Earth’s
surface
- Produces fine-grained
igneous rocks
- This rapid cooling does
not allow time for
crystals to form Extrusive Igneous Rock
sedimentary rocks
- formed from materials from previously
existing rocks
Sediments
- Weathered rock materials
- Dissolved rock materials
Compaction
Cementation
metamorphic rocks
Rocks changed by heat, pressure, or hot
solutions due to:
- Movement of the Earth’s
crust
- Heat generated by
intrusion of hot magma
- Pressure can change
rock by flattening,
deforming, or realigning
mineral grains.
ROCK CYCLE
Describes the continually changing
structure of rocks.
Enrichment Activity
Arrange the terms below to illustrate the Rock Cycle in a
diagram.
-Intrusive Igneous Rock -Sedimentary Rock
-Extrusive Igneous Rock -Compaction and
-Magma cementation
-Magma from molten crust -Sedimentation
and mantle -Transport and deposition
-Melting -Weathering and erosion
-Metamorphic rock -Slow uplift to the surface
-Burial, high temperatures
and pressures
