What are Minerals?
What are the characteristics of a mineral?
Naturally
Occurring—
Substances that
are formed by
Natural Processes
Solid—A mineral
is always a solid
with definite
shape and volume
Formed by Inorganic
Processes—Every mineral
must be able to form from
minerals that were not part
of living things. Some
minerals that CAN form
from inorganic processes
may also be produced by
living things.
Crystal Structure – Definite Chemical
Composition—A mineral
The particles of a has a definite chemical
mineral line up in a composition which means
pattern that repeats the mineral always
contains certain elements
over and over again. in definite proportions.
Examples of Minerals
How are minerals formed?
Crystallization from materials
dissolved in a solution. This can
occur by Evaporation or through the cooling
of minerals dissolved in a Hot Water
Solution.
Cooling of Melt.
Crystallization
occurs as magma below the surface cools
slowly over thousands of years (Large
Crystals) or If lava on the surface cools
quickly (Small Crystals)
Color
Luster
The color you see
when you look at
the mineral.
Cleavage / Fracture
Cleavage is the tendency of a
mineral to split into flat
surfaces.
Fracture describes how a
mineral looks when it breaks
apart in an irregular way.
Most minerals FRACTURE.
Streak
Describes how
light is reflected
from the
mineral’s
surface.
Hardness
Crystal Shape
Describes how hard a
mineral is on a scale of
1 to 10 called the
Moh’s Hardness Scale.
Determined by a
scratch test.
The number of faces
and the angle at which
the faces meet.
The color of the
mineral’s powder.
Although the color of a
mineral can vary, the
streak color for a
specific mineral will
NOT.
Density
The amount of
mass per cubic
unit is specific
for each
mineral.
Special Properties
 Bending light to
cause double images
 Conducts electricity
 Glows under special
lights
 magnetic
Why is it important to learn about minerals?
Minerals help us in learning and understanding the history of Earth. It is also important for us to have a knowledge
of minerals before we do any building (you do NOT want a building or road made out of Talc) and since many of
our everyday things are made from rocks and minerals, a working knowledge of them is a must.
What is the difference between a mineral and a naturally occurring substance?
Minerals will have all 5 of the mineral characteristics. If it is missing even one, then it is simply a naturally occurring
substance.
and freebies