Honors Minerals Review
Name__________________________________ Class________
1.
What five things must be true of a mineral
a. __solid____________
b. inorganic
c. _naturally occurring___________
d. _definite chemical composition_______________
e. __crystalline________
2. What part of an atom is involved in chemical bonds?____electrons______
3. C-14 is an isotope of C which is usually C-12. What does it mean to be an isotope?
It has an unusual number of neutrons
4. How is the Na and the Cl arranged in the mineral halite? Cubic
5. Draw a silicon tetrahedron
6. How could you distinguish each of the following from the other
a. Diamond from quartz – diamond is harder
b. Halite from calcite- cubic cleavage of halite and taste of halite
c. Hornblende from augite- cleavage planes of hornblende not 90o
d. Calcite from gypsum – calcite reacts to HCl and can’t be scratched by fingernail
e. Olivine from malachite- olivine scratches glass
f. Malachite from azurite- malachite is green and azurite is blue
g. Hematite from magnetite- hematite has a red streak, magnetite has gray and is
magnetic
h. Muscovite from biotite- biotite is black, muscovite is light
i. Kaolinite from talc- kaolinite is chalky and expands with water added, talc is soapy
j. Kernite from quartz- kernite is softer and has cleavage
k. Fluorite from gypsum- fluorite is harder and has more cleavage (4)
l. Plagioclase feldspar from K-feldspar (orthoclase)- K-feldspar can be pink and doesn’t
have striations
m. Galena from pyrite- galena is heavier and has cubic cleavage, not cubic crystals
n. Pyrite from gold- pyrite has a gray streak and is brittle
7. What mineral would you used for each of the following (there may be more than one good
answer)
a. Plaster- gypsum
b. Red paint- hematite
c. Lead- galena
d. Copper- azurite or malachite
e. making explosives and matches- sulfur
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
8.
making antacids- calcite
making glass- quartz (and kernite)
borax (used for cleaning and for making glass, fiberglass and many other things)kernite
sandpaper- quartz
gemstone- quartz
pencils- graphite
toothpaste- fluorite (and calcite)
table salt - halite
What is an ore? A rock or mineral from which a resource can be extracted
9. Draw a Silicon tetrahedron
10. Name a mineral or minerals with
a. One cleavage plane- mica (also kaolinite and graphite but not visable)
b. 2 cleavage planes with right angles- augite, feldspars
c. 2 cleavage planes with angles that are not 90o- hornblende
d. 3 cleavage planes at right angles- galena, halite
e. 3 cleavage planes at not right angles- calcite
f. 4 cleavage planes- fluorite
g. Conchoidal fracture- quartz
11. Name the minerals of the Mohs hardness scale that were in your box, including the hardness
1-talc, 2-gypsum, 3- calcite, 4-fluorite 6-feldspar 7- quartz
12. How does the size of anions and cations affect the crystalline structure?
The size determines the way that they can pack together in a crystal
13. Explain how the silicate structure determines the cleavage or fracture of silicate minerals.
Isolated and quartz have no planes of weakness, so they have conchoidal fracture, chain silicates
have ionic bonds along the chains, so they have cleavage as a result, and sheet silicates have a
single plane
14. Give an example of a mineral that falls into each of the following
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Oxide- hematite, magnetite
Sulfide- pyrite, galena
Carbonate- calcite
Chloride- halite
Silicate- olivine, augite, hornblende, mica(s), quartz, feldspar(s)
Native element- Sulfur, graphite, gold, silver, diamond