 Draw a T-chart in your notebook.
 Label with Mineral/Non-mineral at the top
 For each picture that you see, write the item under
either Mineral or Non-mineral.
1
Wood
2
Gold
3
Fossil
4
Topaz
5
Bones
6
Granite
7
Quartz
8
Pearls
9
Talc
10
Icebergs
11
Diamond
12
Coal
13
Rock Salt
 Minerals
 Non-Minerals
 Minerals
 Non-Minerals
a) Gold
a) Wood - once living
b) Topaz
b) Fossils – once living
c) Quartz
c) Bone - living material
d) Talc
d) Granite - intrusive igneous rock
e) Iceberg*
e) Pearls – made by oysters
f)
Diamonds
Coal - Sedimentary rock
g) Rock Salt – Sedimentary rock
f)
According to IMA – ice is listed as a mineral
 The official line…..
A mineral is a naturally formed,
inorganic, solid, that has a
definite crystalline structure,
& fixed chemical composition.
 Solid
 Cannot be a liquid or a gas
 Naturally Occurring
 Found in nature, not man-made
 Inorganic
 Is not alive and never was, non-living
 Fixed composition
 Has a chemical formula, most are formed from compounds of two
or more elements, some minerals consist of one element ex. Au
 Crystal Form
 A definite structure in which atoms are arranged
 Is it a solid?
 Is it naturally occurring
 Is it non-living (inorganic)?
 Does it have a fixed chemical composition
(i.e. does it have a chemical formula)?
 Does is make a crystalline structure?
 That spells S.N.I.F.C.
 Trace your hand print on a clean sheet in your NB.
 Put the letters –SNIFC—as shown below.
 Each letter stands for one mineral trait.
 Fold a finger down as you
decide if a criteria is met.
If all your fingers end up
folded down, then a fist
is sign language for “yes”.
Now, write out the rest of
the words on you hand.
I
N
S
F
C
Learning Target:
 Use the minerals and tools to determine
a list of
properties (characteristics) that you could
use to determine the name of and tell the differences
between one mineral and another.
Check out the video:
Earth Revealed: “Minerals: Materials of the Earth”
to see how minerals are used, named, and help find
out about Earth’s history