Mineral Classification Flashcards

Mineral Classification

• Minerals are organized into groups based on chemical composition.
• Major groups include native elements, halides, carbonates, sulfides, sulfates, oxides, and silicates.

Native Elements

• Comprised of a single element.
• Examples include gold and graphite.

Halides

• Formed from a metal and a halogen element (Cl, F, Br).
• An example is fluorite.

Carbonates

• Consist of a metal combined with a carbonate group (CO3).
• Key examples are calcite and dolomite.

Sulfides

• Comprise a metal and sulfur.
• Notable examples include galena and pyrite.

Sulfates

• Formed from a metal and a sulfate group.
• Example mineral is gypsum.

Oxides

• Consist of a metal combined with oxygen.
• Hematite and magnetite are common examples.

Silicates

• The largest and most common mineral family.
• Basic structural unit is the silica tetrahedron, consisting of silicon and oxygen.
• Common minerals include quartz and olivine.

Silica Tetrahedron

• Formed by four oxygen ions surrounding a smaller silicon ion.

Ore

• Minerals that possess commercial value and can be economically extracted.
• Lead is an example of an ore.

Mineralogy

• The scientific study that focuses on minerals.

Fracture and Cleavage

• Fracture refers to uneven splitting of a mineral.
• Cleavage describes a mineral breaking along flat surfaces or planes.

Streak

• The color of the powder produced by scratching a mineral against a surface.

Hardness

• Indicates a mineral’s resistance to scratching.
• Moh's scale is utilized to rank hardness levels.

Acid Test

• Involves dropping hydrochloric acid on a mineral to check for bubble formation.

Color

• Easy to observe but unreliable for mineral identification.

Luster

• Describes how a mineral reflects light, categorized as either nonmetallic or metallic.

Cleavage Directions

• Feldspar breaks in two directions.
• Muscovite cleaves in one direction.
• Halite and calcite each cleave in three directions.

Essential Properties of Common Minerals

• Characteristics to consider include luster, common colors, cleavage/fracture patterns, uses, and composition.

Clay

• Identified as a mineral source located closest to Valhalla.