Minerals EQ: How are minerals a part of rocks?

What is a Mineral?  DEF: A naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure & a definite chemical composition.  Example: Quartz

Naturally-occurring  Never man-made  Ex: Like rocks

Inorganic:  Means the mineral cannot come from things that were once living  Non Example: Coal – it is organic because it comes from plants that lived millions of years ago.

Solid  A 3-D geometric figure  Not a liquid or a gas!

Crystal:  The repeating pattern of particles, line up when they form  Like a snowflake pattern or rock candy

6 Different Crystal Systems:  Cubic Ex: Magnetite  HexagonalEx: Quartz  TetragonalEx: Rutile  OrthorhombicEx: Sulfur  MonoclinicEx: Azurite  TriclinicEx: Microcline Feldspar

Definite Chemical Composition  Certain elements form together in specific ways  Like Hydrogen & Oxygen (H2O) and Carbon & Oxygen (CO2) form together to make these compounds

Physical Properties Identify Minerals  Physical Properties include 6 “tests” you can perform on minerals to determine what type of mineral they might be.

1. Streak Test  The color of the mineral’s powder that’s left behind when it is rubbed across a rough surface  Example: Pyrite looks like gold but, it’s streak looks greenish- black (aka “fool’s gold”)

2. Luster  Describes how light is reflected from the mineral’s surface. What does it look like?

3. Density

4. Cleavage  One way minerals break  Easily split along flat surfaces  Ex: Mica & Feldspar

5. Fracture  One way minerals break  Break unevenly in irregular ways  Chipped  Shell-like Ex: Quartz  Jagged points Ex: Copper & Iron  Crumbles Ex: Clay

6. Mohs Hardness Scale  A scale that ranks 10 minerals from softest to hardest. You can compare unknown minerals to the minerals on this scale  Hardness can be tested by a Scratch Test  A mineral can scratch any other softer mineral  It can also BE scratched by any harder mineral  Softest Mineral – Talc  Hardest Mineral - Diamond

Science Standard S6E5. How Earth’s surface forms  b. Minerals make rocks  EX: Granite may be made of many different minerals (feldspar, mica, hornblende, quartz)  c. Rocks are classified by how they are formed  EX: Igneous rocks form from magma/lava cooling  d. Different processes change rock & the surface of the Earth  EX: Weathering & Erosion break down rocks & move them to new places

Types of Luster  MetallicEx: Galena  GlassyEx: Topaz  Waxy, Greasy, PearlyEx: Talc  DullEx: Graphite  SilkyEx: Malachite  EarthyEx: Hematite

Fill in the rest of your Mineral Brochure notes.  Use info already on the sheet  Use Ch 2 of your textbook home)