Section 5.4
Minerals and Mineral Groups
• The two most
abundant elements
in Earth’s crust …..
• The 2 most
abundant minerals
in Earth’s crust…..
• Silicon & oxygen
• Quartz & Feldspar
• 2 major Silicates…
• Quartz…
• Feldspar
• Made up of silicon
and oxygen
• Hardest COMMON
mineral
• Smokey, rose, milky,
amethyst
• Worn as a
gemstone
• Can be orthoclase
(pink) or plagioclase
(grey)
• Other silicates…
• Pyroxene
• Mica
• Muscovite (white)
and biotite (black)
• Best cleaving ability!
• Carbonates….
• Calcite
•
•
•
•
Bonded with -CO3
Calcium carbonate
CaCO3
Has birefringence
(double refraction)
• Reacts to HCl
• Will phosphoresce
• Carbonates con’t.
• Dolomite
• CaMg(CO3)2
• Is found in limestone
• Oxides
• Hematite
• Magnetite
• A metal element
bonded to oxygen
• Iron Oxide
• Used in jewelry
• Black iron oxide
• Magnetic!
• Sulfides
• Pyrite
• A metal bonded to
Sulfur
• Iron sulfide
• Fool’s Gold!
• Others…
• Halite
• Salty to the taste