Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
Unit Introduction
2
Think pair share 1) What is a mineral?
2) Give 3 examples of minerals and what each is used for 3) Explain what a crystal is 4) what is the difference between rocks and minerals
3
VA SOL ES 5 The student will investigate and understand how to identify major rock-forming and ore minerals based on physical and chemical properties. Key concepts include b. use of minerals.
4
Objective 1. Identify the major elements of the Earth’s crust.
2. Identify common minerals and ores and their uses. Include: quartz, calcite, talc, gypsum, fluorite, feldspar, biotite, muscovite, hematite, galena, halite, pyrite, magnetite, sulfur, and graphite. 3. Identify Virginia’s major rock and mineral resources and their uses.
5
Minerals What is a Mineral?
6
Enduring Understanding
Minerals are the building blocks of rocks.
7
Minerals Earth’s crust is composed of about 3,000 different minerals. They play very important roles in civilization. Throughout history wars have been waged and empires have risen and fallen over the conquest of a select few minerals such as gold and silver considered to be precious.
8
Mineral Characteristics
Mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a specific chemical composition and a definite crystalline structure Naturally Occurring means they are formed by natural processes
9
Mineral Characteristics
Synthetic diamonds and other materials developed in labs are not minerals
10
Mineral Characteristics
Inorganic means that they are not and never were alive Salt is a mineral, sugar is not
11
Mineral Characteristics
Solid - means it has a definite shape and volume No liquids or gases can be minerals!!!
12
Mineral Characteristics
Specific Chemical Composition - means that since most minerals are compounds, the elements and their proportions are unique to that mineral The chemical composition for Quartz is SiO2, with a chemical breakdown of approximately 46.7% silicon and 53.3% oxygen. Quartz is easily transformed from low to high quartz at 573 degrees Celsius with only minor atomic adjustments and without breaking any of the Si-O bonds.
13
Mineral Characteristics
Some minerals such as silver are found as a single element
14
Mineral Characteristics
Definite Crystalline Structure - means the atoms are arranged in regular geometric patterns that are repeated over and over. There are six major crystal systems:
15
Cubic
16
Tetragonal
17
Hexagonal Beryl
18
Orthorhombric Olivine
19
Monoclinic Amphibole
20
Triclinic Turquoise
21
Mineral Formation Since minerals must form from natural processes there are two primary ways that they form here on Earth
22
Mineral Formation Minerals can form from the cooling of magma which is the molten material found beneath Earth’s surface. As magma rises closer to the surface, the molten compounds no longer move freely and they begin to interact chemically to form minerals.
23
Mineral Formation Small crystals means the magma cooled rapidly
24
Mineral Formation Large crystals means the magma cooled more slowly
25
Mineral Formation Minerals also form from solution such as when a liquid evaporates from the solution and the elements remain behind “Evaporites”
26
Mineral Formation Minerals will precipitate (drop out) of a solution that becomes supersaturated meaning it can hold no more dissolved solids
27
Mineral Groups Of the 3,000 minerals found in the crust only about 30 of these are common. Ten of these make up about 90% of the Earth’s crust
28
Mineral Groups Silicates are the most abundant group (96%) containing the two most abundant elements in the crust Silicon (Si) and Oxygen (O)
29
Mineral Groups Quartz and Feldspar are the most abundant minerals
30
Mineral Groups Carbonates are minerals composed of one or more metallic elements with the carbonate compound CO3
31
Mineral Groups Calcite and dolomite are common examples
32
Mineral Groups Carbonates are the primary minerals in rocks such as limestone, coquina, and marble
33
Mineral Groups Oxides are compounds of oxygen (O) and a metal.
Hematite (Fe2O3) and Magnetite (Fe3O4) are common examples
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.