1. Characteristics of ALL minerals
(epsomite)

2. {enrich} What is a Mineral?
More than 4,000 minerals (40-50 new minerals identified each year!)
but only 100 common minerals
about 20 minerals make up most of Earth’s crust
native elements occur in nature in pure form (ex: gold, copper, diamond, sulfur, graphite, silver, and platinum)

3. Most minerals are COMPOUNDS… (a chemical combination of two or more elements), while rocks are mixtures of minerals (and sometimes organic matter like shells)
Some minerals are elements (like copper, gold and diamonds)

4. {enrich} Classification of minerals
95% of the earth’s crust is made of silicates (minerals made of silicon and oxygen): ex: quartz SiO2)
sulfide (+ sulfur) ex: cinnabar (HgS)
sulfate (+sulfur & O)
carbonate (C & O) ex: calcite: CaCO3
oxide (+oxygen) ex: corundum: Al2O3
halide –ex: salt

5. Characteristics of ALL minerals: (INSCC) --foldable--
Inorganic
Natural
Solid
Compound (or element)
Crystal system

6. Inorganic
never alive
not from something alive
rocks can have organic matter
Naturally occurring
not synthetic or artificial or man-made

7. Solid
at room temperature
Chemical composition
some single element in pure form (native elements) like copper, diamond, sulfur
most are compounds like quartz (SiO2) and cinnabar (HgS)
rocks are mixtures
Can you read a chemical equation?
Crystal system
repeating pattern with flat sides (called faces)
most are only visible with a microscope

8. Let’s practice INSCC... fill in lab sheet (notes on the bottom)
look at a variety of substances (water, leaves, brick, rubber band, coal, salt, sugar, etc.) and determine which ones are NOT minerals---AND WHY

9. A rock is a mixture of _____________.
minerals

10. Now it’s time to start performance task #5…

11. What’s the difference between rocks and minerals?
elements (like copper)
or compounds (like quartz, SiO2)
cannot contain organic material (things that are/were living)
mixtures of minerals
may contain organic matter (like coal and limestone)
Let’s look at GRANITE…

12. Now it’s time to start performance task #7…