Bell Work: 9/16/10
 Observe
the photo on pgs. 334 & 335
in your textbook.
 Read the caption titled, “About the
Photo.”
 Answer the following questions:
◦ What is a mineral?
◦ What does the caption tell you about
minerals?
What is a mineral?

A _________is
a naturally formed,
mineral
inorganic solid that has a definite
crystalline structure.
◦
◦
◦
◦
naturally
inorganic
solid
crystalline (structure)
Mineral Structure

By answering these four questions, you can
tell whether an object is a mineral:
1. Is
_________________
it nonliving material?- A mineral is inorganic,
meaning it isn’t make of living things.
Is it a solid?2. __________Minerals
can’t be gases or liquids.
3. Does
___________________________Minerals
it have a crystalline structure?are crystals, which have a repeating inner
structure that is often reflected in the shape of
a crystal.
it formed in nature?-Crystalline materials
4. Is
________________
made by people aren’t classified as minerals.
Identifying Minerals
The following pictures are in your group:
wood, fossil, bone, granite, quartz crystal
 Observe the pictures and determine
which ones are minerals by using the four
questions.
 Write down the names of each item and
“yes” if it is a mineral and “no” if it is not
a mineral.

Mineral Structure
_________
Elements are pure substances that
cannot be broken down into simpler
substances.
 All minerals contain one or more of the
92 naturally occurring elements.

Atoms and Compounds
Each element is made of only one kind of
_______.
atom
 An atom is the _________
smallest part of an
element that has all the properties of that
element.
 Some properties of aluminum are: shiny,
silver colored, fragile, and thin. Each element
has its own type of properties.
 Most minerals are made of __________
compounds of
several different elements.
 A compound is a substance made of two
___ or
more elements that have been chemically
joined or ________.
bonded

A Carrot
The smallest particles of matter are called atoms.
 Let’s take a carrot for example. If you continue to
chop a carrot into smaller and smaller pieces,
eventually you would reach a point where you
could not cut up the carrot anymore, but still have
carrot. You would then have molecules of carrot.
 The same applies to elements. If you continually
cut up a piece of aluminum, you will reach a point
that you could no longer divide it. These are
aluminum atoms.

Atoms
Atoms
E ME
lements
Crystals
Solid, geometric forms of minerals produced by
a repeating pattern of atoms or molecules that
is present throughout the mineral are called
________.
crystals
 A crystal’s shape is determined by the
arrangement of the atoms within the crystal.

Two Groups of Minerals

Silicate minerals are minerals that
contain a combination of silicon, oxygen,
and one or more metals.

Nonsilicate minerals are minerals that
do not contain compounds of silicon and
oxygen. There are six main classes of
nonsilicate minerals.
Two Groups of Minerals
Write the names of
the two groups on the
front of the foldable
(one on each side).
 Inside (on the
notebook paper) use
Figures 4 & 5 on pages
338-339 to take notes
on the two groups.
Include the definition
of the two groups and
examples with
descriptions.

Silicate
Nonsilicate
Minerals Minerals