MINERALS

Minerals are ALL AROUND YOU Ceramic tile Bike racks Bricks Glass Gems Diamonds Aluminum

Mineral Characteristics 4,000 minerals on Earth All share FOUR characteristics; 1)Formed in a natural process – found in nature, not man-made 2)Inorganic – aren’t made by life processes (non-living) 3)They have a distinct Chemical composition – ex: NaCl (halite) gives a distinct taste.

4)Crystalline solids – have a definite volume & shape. This pattern is repeated over and over. –CubicTetragonal –MonoclinicHexagonal (see page 64)

How Do They Form? Crystals may be visible (clear quartz) or not (rose quartz) based on where they are developed Can form from MAGMA –Magma (hot melted rock) cools when it reaches the surface – the molecules move closer together to combine into compounds – the type and amount of elements present determine which minerals will form

OR can form from SOLUTIONS –Minerals dissolved in water when water evaporates molecules left behind come together to form crystals – Relates to Earth’s Crust; Most common minerals are mostly composed of 8 elements in the earth’s Crust; Most include silicon (Si) and oxygen(O) which are the most abundant elements in the crust