1. Chapter 9 – Minerals and Rocks
Lesson 1 – Properties of Minerals

2. What is a Mineral? Defining Minerals Naturally Occurring Solid
Crystal Structure
Can be Formed by Inorganic Processes
Definite Chemical Composition

3. Minerals, Compounds, and Elements
Almost all minerals are compounds (two or more elements chemically joined)
Cinnabar (red) is sulfur (bright yellow) and mercury (silvery liquid)
Different minerals have different combinations of elements
Some elements, such as copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and gold (Au) occur in nature in pure form. These elements are also minerals.

4. How Are Minerals Identified?
Color
Streak
Luster
Hardness
Moh’s Hardness Scale (1  10 – Soft Hard) Talc  Gypsum  Calcite Fluorite  Apatite  Feldspar  Quartz  Topaz  Corundum  Diamond
Density
Amount of matter in a certain amount space

5. Crystal Structure Cleavage and Fracture Special Properties
Atoms that make up a mineral line up in a regular, repeating pattern
Classified according to the number of faces, or sides, on the crystal Halite – cubic crystals
Cleavage and Fracture
How the mineral breaks apart
Special Properties
Some minerals bend light, conduct electricity, glow under UV light, or are magnetic.

6. How Do Minerals Form? Organic Minerals Minerals from Solutions
Calcite CAN come from shells and skeletons of ocean animals such as clams and corals
Minerals from Solutions
Formed by Evaporation
Halite – formed from evaporation of ancient seas (American Southwest and along the Gulf Coast)
Gypsum and Calcite
Hot Water Solutions
Quartz, Silver, and Gold
Often form in veins (narrow channel or slab of mineral that is different from the surrounding rock)
Minerals from Magma and Lava
Magma – Slow cooling – Large crystals – Quartz, Feldspar, Tourmaline, and Mica
Lava – Cools quickly – Small crystals – Leucite and olivine

7. Where Mineral Resources Are Found?
Crust is made of the common rock-forming minerals combined in various types of rock
Less common minerals are not found evenly distributed throughout the crust
Several processes can concentrate these minerals in deposits
Ore is a deposit of valuable minerals contained in rocks
Iron bearing minerals include pyrite, magnetite, and hematite
Lead ores may contain galena
Graphite and sulfur are also mined