1. Minerals & Their Properties
These notes go on pages 5 and 7 of your INB!

3. General Facts about Minerals
Between 2 - 3,000 have been identified
A few are “native elements” -- made of only one element, such as sulfur, gold. copper, and graphite (carbon)
Most are compounds, especially the silicate group (Si, O).
Other important groups are oxides, carbonates, and sulfides

4. The 5 characteristics Inorganic Solid Occurs Naturally
Remember the acronym ISODA!
Inorganic
Solid
Occurs Naturally
Defined chemical composition
Arranged in a crystal

5. Mineral Groups grouped by the elements they are made of
most abundant group are silicates, which are most of the rock-forming minerals
Silver
Ruby
Copper

6. Elements & Characteristics
Mineral Group
Elements & Characteristics
Examples
Silicates
contain O and Si
most abundant group
Quartz
Mica
Feldspars
MICA
QUARTZ

7. make up karst topography, which includes caves Calcite (SiO3)
Mineral Group
Characteristics
Examples
Carbonates
C and O
make up karst topography, which includes caves
Calcite (SiO3)
Calcite with Duftite inclusions

8. Mineral Group
Characteristics
Examples
Oxides
metallic ion and O
Hematite
(Fe2)O3

9. Mineral Group
Characteristics
Examples
Sulfides
S and a metallic ion
Galena (PbS)

10. Mineral Group
Characteristics
Examples
Native Elements
single elements from the periodic table
Gold (Au), Diamond (C), Silver (Ag)

11. Most Common Minerals: Quartz Feldspar (group) Muscovite (white mica)
Biotite (black mica)
Calcite
Pyroxene
Olivine
Amphibole (group)
Magnetite, limonite, and other iron oxides
Pyrite

12. Minerals are identified by their properties:
hardness
crystal shape (form)
luster
color
streak
cleavage/fracture
density or specific gravity
special properties --reaction to acid --fluorescence salty taste magnetism

13. Color least useful property for identification:
some minerals have more than one color
more than one type of mineral can have the same color

14. Luster describes how light reflects off the surface
Main categories are metallic and non- metallic
Non-metallic includes: dull, glassy, waxy, pearly, earthy

15. Hardness ability to scratch another mineral
Mohs hardness scale from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond)
Quartz (most common mineral and most dust particles) is a 7

16. We use a scratch plate to determine hardness.

18. Streak
color of the powder when rubbed on a streak plate (unglazed porcelain)
“true color”
may be same as hand-specimen or different
mineral must be softer than the streak plate

19. cleavage/fracture
Some minerals split along flat surfaces when struck hard-- cleavage
Other minerals break unevenly along rough or curved surfaces-- fracture
few minerals have both cleavage and fracture

20. Cleavage or Fracture? 4. 1. 3. 2.

21. Density & Specific Gravity
All minerals have density (mass / volume), but some are very dense
Specific Gravity is the density of the mineral compared with density of water (1 g/ml)

22. Special Characteristics
Acid Test: some minerals react to a dilute acid by fizzing (e.g. Carbonate mineral group)
Smell: some have a very distint smell (e.g. Sulfur)
Taste: certain taste (e.g. Halite, which tastes salty)
Attraction to magnets (e.g. magnetite & other iron minerals)
Fluorescence is when minerals glow under UV light