1. Building a House Out of Minerals
Cement is used for the foundation and chimney
of a house. Cement contains this mineral
which is a source of calcium.
___________________
A roof is a barrier to snow
and rain. What mineral is used in clay
singles to cover the plywood sheets
on the roof?
___________________
Exterior walls can be made of things such as aluminum or steel siding or brick. What is one mineral that could be found in aluminum siding?
___________________
Interior walls shape the rooms in a house. The wallboard covers the walls and is soft so that holes can be drilled in it for outlets and nails can be used to hang pictures. What mineral is wallboard made of?
___________________
Windows let in visible light and allow us to see outside. What clear mineral is used to make window glass?
___________________
Metal pipes are commonly used to carry fresh water into the house. In the 1950’s a poisonous mineral was used in plumbing, what was it?
___________________
Electrical wiring conducts electricity most wiring in made of metal. What mineral is often used for wiring?
___________________
Word Bank: Aluminum, Lead, Gypsum, Copper, Quartz, Illite (clay), Calcite

2. Composition and Structure of Minerals Properties of Minerals
Minerals versus Rocks
Composition and Structure of Minerals
Properties of Minerals
Mineral Groups
Mineral Resources
The Star of Bombay
182-carat star sapphire
Minerals: Building Blocks of Rocks

3. Minerals Versus Rocks A rock is an aggregate of minerals
Minerals are the building blocks that make up rocks

4. Varieties of Minerals More than 3000 different minerals Quartz
Olivine (Peridot)
Beryl (aquamarine)
Native Copper

5. Definition of Mineral Naturally occurring Solid
Inorganic (never living)
Definite chemical composition
Orderly internal structure of atoms

6. Tetragonal
Cubic
Hexagonal

7. How can 2 minerals with the same composition be so different?
Graphite
Diamond
Chemical formula: C
Chemical formula: C
How can 2 minerals with the same composition be so different?

8. “Internal Arrangement of Atoms” controls most physical properties!
What’s the point here?
“Internal Arrangement of Atoms” controls most physical properties!

9. Mineral Formation
Cooling of magma-molten rock beneath the earth’s surface
if it cools fast small crystals
if it cools slowly large crystals
Compounds dissolved in a liquid (water); liquid evaporates & leaves behind crystals

10. Most minerals made up of only 8 elements these 8 elements make up 98% of Earth’s crust
Relative abundance of the most common elements in the Earth’s crust
Element
Approximate Percentage by Weight
Oxygen (O)
46.6%
Silicon (Si)
27.7%
Aluminum (Al)
8.1%
Iron (Fe)
5.0%
Calcium (Ca)
3.6%
Sodium (Na)
2.8%
Potassium (K)
2.6%
Magnesium (Mg)
2.1%
All Others
1.7%
Total
100%

11. Mineral Groups
Silicates: contains silicon + oxygen + one or more other elements (Most common rock forming minerals are silicates)
Carbonates: 1 carbon + 3 oxygen + other elements
Oxides: 2 oxygen + other elements
Sulfides: sulfur + other elements
Sulfates: 1 sulfur + 4 oxygen + other elements
Halides: chlorine, fluorine, bromine, or Iodine + other elements
Native elements: elements that are uncombined

12. Silicates Mica Quartz Can you find the “silica” ? SiO2
KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH,F,Cl)2
Can you find the “silica” ?

13. Silica Structure
4 oxygen atoms for every 1 silicon atom

14. Carbonates
Calcite

15. Mineral Identification
Hardness
Color
Streak Test
Luster
Crystal Form
Cleavage / Fracture

16. Mineral Properties
Hardness - A measure of the resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching.

17. Mohs Hardness Scale 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Relative Scale Mineral
Other Objects
Hardest 10
Diamond 9
Corundum 8
Topaz 7
Quartz 6
K-Feldspar
5.5 Glass, Pocketknife 5
Apatite 4
Fluorite
3.5 Copper Penny 3
Calcite
2.5 Fingernail 2
Gypsum
Softest 1
Talc

18. Mineral Properties Color
Colorless quartz
Purple quartz (amethyst)
Brueno Jasper

19. Streak – The color of a mineral in its powdered form.
Mineral Properties
Streak – The color of a mineral in its powdered form.
The Mineral Hematite Always Has a Red Brown Streak Whether It Is the Metallic or Earthy Variety.

20. Nonmetallic – vitreous (glassy), pearly, silky, resinous, and earthy
Mineral Properties
Luster – the appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of the mineral.
Metallic vs. nonmetallic
Nonmetallic – vitreous (glassy), pearly, silky, resinous, and earthy
Amethyst with vitreous luster

21. Pyrite – Cubic Crystals Quartz -Hexagonal Crystals
Mineral Properties
Crystal form – the external expression of a mineral’s internal orderly arrangement of atoms.
Pyrite – Cubic Crystals
Quartz -Hexagonal Crystals

22. Multiple cleavages in fluorite, halite and calcite
Mineral Properties
Cleavage – The tendency of a mineral to cleave, or break, along planes of weak bonding.
Halite
Calcite
Fluorite
Multiple cleavages in fluorite, halite and calcite
Simple cleavage in micas

23. 1 plane - Micas
2 planes – K Feldspar
3 planes – Halite (salt)
3 planes (rhombo.) - Calcite

24. Mineral Properties
Fracture-Minerals that do not break along cleavage planes are said to possess fracture
Conchoidal fracture in quartz

25. Mineral Properties
Specific gravity – compares the weight of a mineral to the weight of an equal volume of water.
High specific gravity of galena.

26. Additional Properties
Effervescence - Calcite and powdered dolomite will effervesce (fizz) in dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl)
Smell- Sphalerite will give off a rotten-egg smell when streaked on a streak plate. (Note: pure sulfur does not smell like rotten eggs!)
Magnetism- Magnetite (AKA Lodestone) will pick up paper clips (weak samples will only be able to pick up staples)
Taste- Halite is rock salt and will taste salty. *Do not taste the samples since some have been tested with acid to see if it is calcite.
Fluorescence- some minerals (mostly forms of calcite) will glow in fluorescent colors under a black (UV) light.
Double refraction- some clear forms of calcite (Iceland Spar) will make a double image of words.

27. Additional Properties
Fluorescence
Double refraction

28. Uses of Minerals
Gems: highly prized minerals because they are rare and beautiful
Most gems are brighter and more colorful than common samples of minerals
Ex: Emeralds, rubies, diamonds
Ex. Amethyst: a form of quartz with traces of iron, sapphires
Trace amounts of elements can make some gems more rare than others = More money

29. Uses of Minerals
Ores: a mineral is an ore if it contains a useful substance that can be mined for a profit
Ex. Al from bauxite
Fe from hematite
Titanium from rutile

30. Asbestos A mineral with threadlike, flexible fibers
Used for insulation and fire protection = doesn’t burn or conduct heat
When these fibers become loose and airborne → often get into the lungs where they’ve been known to cause cancer (carcinogen)