Mineralogy Science of minerals Definition of a mineral: A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes.

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes. Formed in Nature and not in industrial processes Formed in Nature without any influence of humans Example: Archeological material: slag or metal weathered by Nature over thousands of years = formation of new type of solids New Mineral ????? (apparently yes; e.g. smythite)

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes. naturally occurring liquids, H2O in water Acid mine drainage: FeSO4 · nH2SO4 Liquid mercury Corresponding Minerals: H2O in Ice FeSO4 · n(H2O) (n= 0, 2, 4, 6) Hg in alloys with other metals; e.g. Au

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes. A highly ordered atomic arrangement means a long-range, three dimensional internal order of atoms. A highly ordered atomic arrangement is a criterion of a crystalline solid. Minerals = crystalline solids Amorphous solids, liquids and melts contain groups of atoms with an ordered arrangement. Amorphous solids, liquids and melts = lack of any ordered arrangement over a larger range!!! e.g. volcanic glass, limonite, opal, metamict compounds are Mineraloids

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes. Chemical composition of a mineral can be expressed by a chemical formulae e.g. ZnS A number of minor chemical elements can vary in formulae, but so long as the structure is unchanged, the mineral retains its identity. For example, Fe and Mn can enter the structure of sphalerite in place of Zn. Thus, the formula can be written as (Zn, Fe, Mn)S, but the mineral is still sphalerite. The Fe and Mn are in solid solution in sphalerite.

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes. Exceptions are biogenic minerals formed by organic material; e.g. Bacteria Mollusk Human body Biogenic minerals are for example: Carbonate, silicate, sulfate, phosphate and sulfide minerals and elementary sulfur Because they are formed in natural processes, biogenic minerals are minerals

How Minerals are Named Minerals are supposed to be named based on root name + the ending –ite. Sometimes, for reasons of the sound of the name, the ending –lite is used, as in datolite. However, “grandfather” considerations sometimes have allowed the ending –ine or –ene, as in nickeline or spodumene. Root names are derived from seven different sources: The name may come from antiquity, e.g. galena – from the Latin for lead ore orpiment – corruption of the Latin auripigment meaning gold coloured realgar – corruption of the Arabic rahj al gahr meaning powder of the mine

The name may reflect a physical properties, e.g. pyrrho – from the Greek pyrrhos for fire as in pyrrhotite, from flame-like reflections from its surface. The name may reflect the mineral’s composition, e.g. cobaltite – cobalt sulfarsenide CoAsS arsenopyrite – arsenic + pyrite FeAsS The name may honour a person (usually connected with geology or science at least e.g. linnaeite – after Carl von Linné, originator of the system of biological naming But some names such as Smith and Thompson are common, so people wanting to honor J.V. Smith and J.B. Thompson, finding that the names were already taken produced joesmithite and jimthompsonite.

The locality where the mineral was discovered, e.g. muscovite – from Muscovy, a former kingdom in present Russia ilmenite – from Ilmen, a city in Russia There are many Ontario localities: madocite – Madoc temagamite – Temagami sudburyite – Sudbury perthite – Perth, Ontario (an intergrowth of two kinds of feldspar) Named after an institution, e.g. nimite – after National Institute of Metallurgy, South Africa Named in honour of an event, e.g. uraninite – after the discovery of the planet Uranus