MINERALS
What are minerals made of?
 Most minerals are made up of a ____________________ of ________ or more ___________________.
 Elements such as _____________________________________________________________________.
 There are others that you might recognize, all from the periodic table of elements.
 These ________________________ combine together to form __________________________.
 ______________________________ then combine in different ways to ___________________.
 All minerals are made up of a single element or compound.
COMPOUND
An _____________ is made up
A _______________ contains 2
of _______ and cannot be broken or more kinds of _________ that
down into a ________________ are bonded (joined) together.
substance.
An ___________ is the smallest
part of an _____________ – it
has all of the properties of that
element, but cannot be seen –
even with tools (microscope).
What is a mineral?
 There are nearly ________________ minerals known on Earth!
 A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid crystalline substance with a definite chemical
composition.
 A mineral must have these 5 major aspects. If 1 of these requirements are not satisfied, then the
substance is ______ a mineral.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Naturally Occurring
- Something _____________________________________________________________________!
- Example: ______________________________________________________________________
- Minerals are a girl’s best friend!
 ___________________ are minerals
 Cubic Zirconia is not because it is ____________________________________________!
Inorganic
- Something that was _______________
or originated from a living organism.
- An _____________________________
was ______________ by Earth’s
processes.





Is ice inorganic?
Is paper inorganic?
Is rock from magma inorganic?
Is a dead cat inorganic?
Are synthetically created substances minerals?
Solid
- Something that has a _____________________________.
- Gas and liquids are __________ minerals.
 Is air a mineral?
YES / NO
 Is mercury a mineral?
YES / NO
YES / NO
YES / NO
YES / NO
YES / NO
YES / NO
MINERALS
Crystalline Substance
- A _____________ is a __________ whose ____________ are arranged in an _______________ pattern.
- Particles line up in a ____________________________________ over and over again…called a crystal.
- A crystal has _____________ sides called __________________.
Definite Chemical Composition
- Every mineral has its own _____________________________________.
- A ____________________________________ is like a recipe for baking.
- A mineral has __________________________ combined in __________________________________.
____ + Cl = ____ (Salt)
Si + __ = ____ (Quartz)
-
1 egg
1 cup of flour
2 cups of sugar
Will make
something totally
different than…
5 eggs
1 cup flour
8 cups sugar
Just like baking, the ingredients must be in the right amounts for it to turn out the way the recipe
intended.
Si + O2 is _______ the same thing as Si + O3.
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. A mineral is said to be _________________ because they formed by processes that occur in the natural
world.
2. Complete the concept map below…
3. In your own words, write a definition of a mineral.
4. Because minerals do not come from living things, they are said to be ____________________________.
5. A substance that keeps its shape because its particles cannot flow freely is a(n) ____________________.
6. A solid with flat sides that meet at sharp edges and corners is called a(n) _________________________.