Minerals
4 requirements to be considered a
mineral:
1.
Naturally Occurring (not manmade)
4 requirements to be considered a
mineral:
2.
Inorganic – not from living things
Arsenic minerals
4 requirements to be considered a
mineral:
3.
Unique chemical composition (chemical
formula)
Calcite
4 requirements to be considered a
mineral:
4.
Definite structural pattern (crystalline)
Quartz
Relationship to Rocks
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Are minerals rocks? Yes
Are all rocks minerals? Not always
Why? Not all rocks fit the criteria of a
mineral
Mineral Formation

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Precipitation: minerals settle out of
solution
Crystallization: structured organization of
atoms
Crystal size: depends on amount of time
to grow
Physical Properties:
1.
Color – this is the LEAST RELIABLE

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One mineral can come in many colors
Many minerals can be the same color
Quartz
Physical Properties:
2.
Streak – the color of the mineral in
powdered form

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May be different than its color
More reliable
Pyrite
Physical Properties:
3.
Luster – how it shines or reflects light

Metallic (shiny) vs. nonmetallic (dull, glossy)
Metallic Luster
Nonmetallic Luster
Physical Properties:
4.
Hardness – resistance to being scratched

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Moh’s hardness scale
Ranges from 1 (soft) to 10 (hard)
Hardness
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Each number is a different mineral
Ex: 1= Talc, 10=Diamond, 7= Quartz
Hardness

The hardness of tools used to identify
minerals can also be on the scale

Ex: Fingernail = 2.5
Penny = 3.5
Glass = 5.5
Steel nail = 6.5
Physical Properties:
5.
Cleavage – tendency of a mineral to split
along planes of weakness

Up to 3 planes
Physical Properties:
6.
Fracture – uneven breaks (no cleavage)
Other Possibly Useful
Properties:
1.
Magnetic
Other Possibly Useful
Properties:
2.
Taste (not recommended)

Ex: Halite
Other Possibly Useful
Properties:
3.
Acid test – some minerals bubble in
hydrochloric acid

Ex: Calcite
Other Possibly Useful
Properties:
4.
Double Refraction – can see two images
through the mineral

Ex: Calcite
Other Possibly Useful
Properties:
5.
Fluorescence: glow under UV light

***IMPORTANT: The physical properties
of a mineral are due to the internal
arrangement of its atoms!***
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjA2MrWAVU

http://sciencereviewgames.com/srg/game
s/gong.php?id=33