Minerals Overview and Identification
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Questions and Answers

What is a mineral?

  • A solid organic substance
  • A liquid mineral
  • A solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence (correct)
  • An artificial substance

What are the characteristics of minerals?

Naturally occurring, solid, inorganic, homogenous crystalline structure, definite chemical composition.

What is a crystal?

A regular geometric solid with smooth surfaces.

How are minerals identified?

<p>By their physical characteristics like hardness, luster, and streak.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How are minerals classified?

<p>By their chemical composition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Color is a good characteristic to use when identifying minerals.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by a mineral's hardness?

<p>The ability of the mineral to resist scratching.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do we test a mineral for hardness?

<p>By scratching it against other minerals or objects like glass or a fingernail.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the hardest mineral on Moh's hardness scale?

<p>Diamond.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the softest mineral on Moh's hardness scale?

<p>Talc.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the hardness of glass on Moh's hardness scale?

<p>5.5.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the hardness of Quartz on Moh's hardness scale?

<p>7.0.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is density?

<p>Mass per unit volume.</p> Signup and view all the answers

The 'specific gravity' of a mineral describes what property?

<p>Density.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do you compare the densities of two minerals?

<p>By hefting the minerals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a mineral's streak?

<p>The color of the powder left from a mineral scratched against a streak plate.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is specific gravity?

<p>The ratio of a mineral's mass compared to an equal volume of water.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is cleavage in minerals?

<p>The tendency of a mineral to break along flat planar surfaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is basal cleavage?

<p>One flat planar surface.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is cubic cleavage?

<p>Three flat planar surfaces at right angles to each other.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is rhombohedral cleavage?

<p>Three cleavage planes not at right angles to each other.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is fracture in minerals?

<p>The tendency of a mineral to break or chip with rounded surfaces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is chonchoidal fracture?

<p>Breaks in curves.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are organized breaks in mineral samples called?

<p>Cleavage.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are random breaks in a mineral sample called?

<p>Fracture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is radioactivity in minerals?

<p>Minerals that release electron energy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is refraction?

<p>The ability of a mineral to bend or 'refract' light to show a double or magnified image.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is magnetism in minerals?

<p>A mineral's ability to attract to magnets or materials containing iron.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is luminescence in minerals?

<p>The ability of a mineral to absorb light energy and glow in the dark.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the hydrochloric acid test measure?

<p>The ability of a rock containing calcium carbonate (calcite) to react with acid.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the two most common elements found in Earth's crust?

<p>Silicon and Oxygen.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the two most common minerals found in Earth's crust?

<p>Quartz and Feldspar.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the largest chemical group of minerals?

<p>Silicates - 95%.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What chemical group contains minerals made of a single element?

<p>Native Elements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a polymorph?

<p>Minerals with the same chemical composition but with different crystalline structures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an isomorph?

<p>Minerals with different chemical composition but have the same crystalline structure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is mineral assemblage?

<p>The ratio of minerals present in a rock.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Can a rock exist of no minerals?

<p>True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Can a rock exist of only one mineral?

<p>True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Can a mineral exist of only one element?

<p>True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What determines the physical characteristics of minerals?

<p>The atomic structure of the atoms in the mineral.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Minerals

Naturally occurring, solid substances with a specific chemical composition and a crystalline structure.

Crystals

Regular geometric solids with smooth surfaces, reflecting their internal arrangement of atoms.

Streak

The color of a mineral's powder when scratched against a streak plate.

Hardness

A mineral's resistance to scratching.

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Density

The ratio of a mineral's mass to its volume.

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Specific Gravity

The ratio of a mineral's density to the density of water.

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Cleavage

The tendency of a mineral to break along flat planes.

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Fracture

The way a mineral breaks when it doesn't follow cleavage planes.

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Radioactivity

The release of energy by certain minerals, often detectable with a Geiger counter.

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Refraction

The bending of light as it passes through a mineral.

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Magnetism

A mineral's attraction to magnets or ferrous materials.

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Luminescence

The ability of a mineral to absorb light and glow in the dark.

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Hydrochloric Acid Test

A test that uses hydrochloric acid to identify minerals containing calcium carbonate.

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Mineral Assemblage

The relative abundance of different minerals within a rock.

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Native Elements

Minerals made up of a single element.

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Polymorphs

Minerals with the same chemical composition but different crystalline structures.

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Isomorphs

Minerals with different chemical compositions but the same crystalline structure.

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Silicon

The most abundant element in Earth's crust.

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Oxygen

The second most abundant element in Earth's crust.

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Quartz

The most common mineral in Earth's crust.

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Feldspar

The second most common mineral in Earth's crust.

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Silicates

The largest mineral group, making up 95% of Earth's crust.

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Atomic Structure

The physical characteristics of minerals are determined by their internal arrangement of atoms.

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Luster

A mineral's ability to reflect light.

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Tenacity

A mineral's resistance to breaking or deforming.

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Study Notes

Minerals Overview

  • Minerals are solid inorganic substances found naturally in the environment.
  • Key characteristics: naturally occurring, solid, inorganic, homogeneous crystalline structure, and definite chemical composition.

Crystal Structure

  • Crystals are regular geometric solids with smooth surfaces.

Mineral Identification

  • Minerals are identified based on their physical properties, such as hardness, luster, and streak.
  • Color is not a reliable characteristic due to environmental variations affecting mineral color.

Hardness

  • Hardness refers to a mineral’s resistance to scratching.
  • The Mohs hardness scale ranks minerals from softest (talc) to hardest (diamond).
  • Glass has a hardness of 5.5, and quartz has a hardness of 7.0.

Density and Specific Gravity

  • Density is defined as mass per unit volume.
  • Specific gravity measures a mineral's density relative to an equal volume of water.
  • Densities can be compared through the "hefting" method.

Streak and Cleavage

  • Streak is the color of the powder left by a mineral when scratched against a streak plate.
  • Cleavage describes a mineral's tendency to break along flat planes.
  • Types of cleavage include:
    • Basal: one flat surface
    • Cubic: three surfaces at right angles
    • Rhombohedral: three planes not at right angles.

Fracture

  • Fracture describes the manner in which a mineral breaks, often with rounded surfaces.
  • Types of fracture include:
    • Chonchoidal: breaks in curves.
    • Random breaks denote a general fracture without a defined pattern.

Other Properties

  • Radioactivity is the release of electron energy by certain minerals.
  • Refraction is the ability to bend light to create a magnified image.
  • Magnetism indicates a mineral's attraction to magnets or ferrous materials.
  • Luminescence is the capability to absorb light and glow in the dark.

Chemical Tests

  • The Hydrochloric Acid Test assesses the reaction of rocks containing calcium carbonate (like calcite) to acids.

Earth's Crust Composition

  • The two most abundant elements in Earth's crust are silicon and oxygen.
  • The most common minerals in Earth's crust are quartz and feldspar.
  • Silicates constitute the largest mineral group, making up 95% of the Earth's crust.

Mineral Groups

  • Native Elements are composed of minerals made of a single element.
  • Polymorphs are minerals that share the same chemical composition but have different crystalline structures.
  • Isomorphs have differing chemical compositions but exhibit the same crystalline structure.

Rock Composition

  • "Mineral assemblage" refers to the ratio of minerals in a rock.
  • Rocks can exist without minerals (e.g., coal) or be composed of only one mineral (e.g., limestone = calcium carbonate).
  • Minerals can also be exclusively made of one element (e.g., copper, sulfur, diamond).

Physical Characteristics

  • The physical traits of minerals are determined by their atomic structure and the arrangement of their atoms.

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Description

Explore the fascinating world of minerals in this quiz. Learn about their characteristics, crystal structures, and methods for identification including hardness and density. Challenge your knowledge of mineral properties and testing techniques.

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