Title: What is a Mineral? Page #: 28 Date: 10/24/2012 Table of Contents Title: What is a Mineral? Page #: 28 Date: 10/24/2012

Objectives Students will be able to define a mineral. Students will be able to describe how a mineral forms. Students will be able to classify minerals according to their physical and chemical properties.

Words of the Day: Mineral: Naturally occurring, inorganic solid, with a specific chemical composition and definite crystalline structure.

Mineral Characteristics There are approximately 3000 different kinds of minerals in Earth’s Crust. Characteristic 1: A mineral is naturally occurring and inorganic. “Naturally Occurring” – Formed by natural processes. “Inorganic” – Not alive, never was alive, not made by a living thing. Example: Salt – mineral Sugar – not a mineral (its made by living things.)

Mineral Characteristics Characteristic 2: A mineral has definite crystalline structure. Crystal: A solid in which atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern. Patterns are usually imperfect because they develop in restricted spaces.

Mineral Characteristics A mineral has specific composition (usually.) A few minerals are composed of a single element - Silver, Copper. Most minerals are made of compounds. Example: Quartz = SiO2. (Check out the sample) The composition of a mineral depends on the temperature at which it crystallizes.

Classwork Is it a mineral worksheet?