1. Properties of Minerals
Chapter F4 Section 1
Properties of Minerals

2. What 5 general properties do all minerals have?
Inorganic
Solid
Crystal structure
Definite chemical composition
Naturally occurring

3. 1. They must be inorganic.
The mineral can’t come from or be created by anything that is living or once living.

4. 2. The mineral must be a solid.
No gas or liquid material can ever be considered a mineral.
It has a definite shape and volume.

5. 3. Minerals must have a crystal structure.
Crystals have flat surfaces that meet at sharp borders or corners.
They are typically made of repeating patterns in their molecular make up.

6. 4.The have a definite chemical composition
Each are made up of one type of chemical compound which are substances that have a combination of elements in definite proportions.
No mineral can be made up of more than one type of compound.

7. And 5. They must also be naturally occurring.
Minerals are not artificial; that is, they are not man made.

8. There are many different types of minerals, how can they be identified / classified?
Each mineral has its own specific property that can be tested to identify the mineral.

9. 1. Hardness
Minerals are ranked by how they are hard or soft depending on their resistance to be scratched.
It uses the Moh’s Hardness scale that ranks 10 minerals by hardness.
The softest, talc, is ranked 1 and the hardest, diamond, is ranked 10.
All other minerals are ranked through this system.

12. Unpolished Diamond (10)
 Talc (1)
Unpolished Diamond (10)

13. This is easily an observable physical property of the mineral.
2. Color
This is easily an observable physical property of the mineral.

14. 3. Streak
Sometimes color is very deceiving.
Gold and pyrite (Fools Gold) have the same color.
However, if both were scratched on a ceramic tile or streak plate the color of the powder left behind are different.
Gold  Yellow streak
Pyrite  Black Streak

15. Pyrite 
Can you guess which one is gold?
Gold 

16. 4. Luster
This is how the mineral reflects light. They can be described as metallic, nonmetallic, waxy, resinous, glassy, etc.

18. 5. Density
Each mineral has a different mass per unit volume.
It is the amount of matter in a given amount of space.
Some feel “heavier” than others for their size.

19. Density = Mass / Volume

20. 6. Crystal Systems
They can belong to one of six crystal systems (p. F124):
Cubic Tetragonal
Hexagonal Orthorhombic
Monoclinic Triclinic

22. These are the ways a mineral break.
7. Cleavage and Fracture.
These are the ways a mineral break.
A cleavage is a clean break with flat sides.
A fracture is not an even break and the surface is rough or jagged.

23. 8. Special Properties.
Some minerals have properties that are just unique to it.
Some will dissolve under acid.
Others are fluorescent or glow under an ultraviolet light.
Yet, others have electrical properties when they rub or pressed against each other; this is called piezoelectric.

24. Why wouldn’t coal be considered a mineral?
Although coal is made up of carbon such as diamonds, it was once made from organic matter.

25. Myth about coal.
Contrary to popular belief diamonds don’t come from coal.
It requires temperatures and pressure found deep within the Earth where no living organism can be deposited.

26. Based on what you know about what a mineral is would snow be considered a mineral?

27. Chapter 4 Section 2:
How Minerals Form

28. How are minerals formed?
How are minerals formed?
As molten rock cools, crystallization could occur.
Crystallization could also occur in solution, dissolved material in water.

31. What could affect the size of crystals formed from magma?
Cooling rate
Amount of gas
Chemical composition

32.
Cooling Rate.
Faster cooling rate yields small crystals especially from lava.
Slower cooling rate allows time to form larger crystals especially from magma.

33. Amount of gas or chemical composition.
Amount of gas or chemical composition.
Certain types of gases can form large or small crystals
Certain types of chemical composition could also form large or small crystals

34. What is a solution? It is a well mixed mixture
It is a mixture which one substance dissolved another

35. How do minerals form from a hot water solution?
Hot water solution cools.
Elements and compounds leave the solution.
Crystallization begins.

36. Solution Before

37. Solution After

38. More example of Mineral from solutions: Stalactites, Stalagmites and Columns

39. Other Cave minerals

40. Unique Cave Minerals

41. And More Cave Minerals

42. What is a mineral vein?
A channel or slab of a mineral that’s different from the surrounding rock.

43. How does a mineral vein form?
They form deep within the Earth as hot water solutions flow into cracks in the rock, cool and crystallizes.

44. Sulphide-bearing quartz-carbonate vein

45. Serpentine Vein

46. At the Mid-Ocean Ridge.
Ocean water flows into the cracks which gets heated from the magma and minerals are mixed into it.
When that form of hot solution flows upward into cold sea water crystallization occurs.

47. How do minerals form from evaporation?
As solutions lose all its water or evaporate, crystallization could occur.
This is how you can make rock candy or rock salt.

48. Curse of Copper

49. Curse of Copper

50. Chapter F4 Section 3
Mineral Resources

51. What are gemstones?
They are any hard mineral that are clear or colorful with a brilliant or glassy luster.
Gems however are the cut and polished product that come from gemstones.
Gemstone / Rough
Cut and polished sunstone gem.

52. What are some common uses of gems and gemstones?
Jewelry / Decoration
Mechanical parts / machinery
Grinding and polishing elements

53. Why are metals useful? They can be stretched into wire.
Used as light bulb filament.
Steel girders for buildings.
Coins / currency.
Manufacturing (automobiles, appliances, etc.)
Artwork (paints, statues, etc.)

54. How can a rock be considered an ore?
It must contain metals or some economically useful mineral.
Economically useful means it is profitable.
It can be mined for a profit
IMPORTANT: most metals do not occur in it’s pure or native form.
Galena (below) – lead, bauxite – aluminum, etc.

55. How can a rock be considered an ore?
Gold, silver and platinum are examples of metals that DO occur in its native form.

56. What does a prospector do?
They are geologists that look for ore deposits.
They not only look at the type of rocks but also plants and water for specific chemicals that are clues to the presence of specific minerals.

57. List 3 types of mines and how the ore deposits are extracted.
Open pit mine – ores start on the surface and then extend deep in the ground.
Shaft mine – ores are found in veins where tunnels are created to follow it.
Strip mine – ores are exposed and collected from the surface.

58. How do you strip mine?
Use heavy earth moving equipment to scrape away soil on the surface.

59. How do you pit mine?
Also uses heavy earth moving equipment to dig a huge hole / pit and remove ores.

60. How do you shaft mine?
Use tunneling equipment to create tunnels deep underground that follow veins of ore.

61. Shaft Mine Surface

62. What are some problems with mining?
They can destroy the land and habitat.
They can pollute the rivers and lakes.

63. How can we reduce the amount of damage made by mining?
By restoring (or reclaiming) the soil that was lost through the mining process.

64. Before

65. After

66. Before and After

67. Reclamation!!!

68. Reclamation!!!

69. What is the purpose of smelting?
To separate useful metal from other elements.
This is usually done by melting or baking the ore with other chemicals so that the impurities will react with the chemicals and leave the metal behind.
Along with the metal, it leaves behind and unusable material called slag which are usually a pollutant.

70. What is the purpose of mixing 2 or more metals together?
What are alloys?
They are a mixture of 2 or more metals.
What is the purpose of mixing 2 or more metals together?
To make it harder or less resistant to rusting.

71. Titanium alloy – Iron, Aluminum and Titanium with others nonmetallic elements