5 Characteristics Of A Mineral

By | June 28, 2025

5 Characteristics Of A Mineral – NATURAL: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE: Minerals occur naturally. Minerals never existed. Minerals are made up of certain chemicals that are unique to that mineral. Neither liquid nor gas. The atoms of a mineral are arranged in a specific pattern unique to that mineral. INORGANIC: Click the animation above SPECIFIC CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: SOLID:

The most common elements found in the earth’s crust are oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, and calcium. Elements make up minerals. There are several well-known minerals. Only about 30 are common. The most common are quartz, feldspar, mica, and calcite.

5 Characteristics Of A Mineral

5 Characteristics Of A Mineral

Quartz, mica, feldspar, and calcite make up most of the rocks found in the earth’s crust. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Most rocks are composed of one or more minerals.

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2. Precipitation, for example, when mineral-rich water evaporates. (Example: salt crystals) 3. Changes in pressure and temperature. 4. Hydrothermal solution. Look

SILICATES The most common group of minerals. It consists of silicon and oxygen. make up 90% of the earth’s crust. Feldspar and quartz are part of this group.

NATURAL ELEMENTS Natural elements are minerals that consist of one element. Some examples are gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), diamond (C), graphite (C), and platinum (Pt). Some Common Metals Images Courtesy of USGS Silver Gold Images Courtesy of USGS Elements like iron, aluminum and silicon are rarely, if ever, found in nature because they are so reactive and form compounds with other elements.

OXIDES The group of mineral oxides consists of oxygen and metal. Some common oxides include hematite and magnetite.

Characteristics Of Minerals

CARBONATE The carbonate mineral group consists of CO3 carbonate compounds. Some common carbonates are calcite and dolomite.

HALOGIDES Halite Copyright ©Stonetrust, Inc. Halides consist of halogen elements, chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), fluorine (F), and iodine (I), which form strong ionic bonds with the alkali and alkaline earth elements sodium (Na), calcium (Ca). , and potassium (K). Some examples include halite (NaCl) and fluorite (CaF2). Fluorite image courtesy of USGS

SULPHATES Image of barite courtesy of USGS Sulfates are minerals that include SO4 anions in combination with alkaline earth and metal cations. Anhydrous (without water) and aqueous (water) are the two main groups of sulfates. Barite (BaSO4) is an example of anhydrous sulfate, while gypsum (CaSO4 · 2H2O) is an example of sulfate. Gypsum image courtesy of USGS

5 Characteristics Of A Mineral

SULPHIDES Pyrite “Fool’s Gold” Copyright © Dr. Richard Bush Sulfides are minerals consisting of one or more metal cations combined with sulfur. Many sulfides are economically important ores. Pyrite (FeS2) or “fool’s gold”, galena (PbS), cinnabar (HgS), and molybdenite (MoS2) are some commonly found sulfide minerals. Cinnaber image courtesy of USGS

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15 Mineral Identification Remember! Rarely are minerals identified by a single property. These properties must be considered together to correctly identify the mineral. To be able to identify this mineral and other minerals, we need to look at the properties used to separate and differentiate these minerals.

Visual Properties: Color, Luster, Crystal Shape Physical Properties: Brittleness, Hardness, Specific Gravity, Lines Special Properties: Boiling, Magnetism, Fluorescence, Phosphorescence, Birefringence

17 Color Color is the easiest mineral property to observe and the least useful! Many minerals can have the same color

18 Color Many minerals can be colored due to impurities, or they can change color under various conditions. For example, pure quartz is colorless or white, impurities can turn the mineral pink, purple or pink!

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Minerals can be described by either a metallic luster or a non-metallic luster. There are several terms used to describe non-metallic luster. Examples are vitreous, such as quartz, or pearly, such as gypsum. Other terms that can be used include thick, dull and understated. Metal Luster Non-Metal Luster Non-Metal: Vitreous Non-Metal: Pearl Non-Metal: Earth

20 Crystal Form Crystal form can be a useful property for identifying minerals if the mineral has the time and place to form crystals. Most mineral grains found in rocks do not have enough room to grow.

21 Cleavage Cleavage of a mineral is its tendency to split or separate easily along a flat surface. Cleavage can also be observed on small mineral grains, making them a very useful property!

5 Characteristics Of A Mineral

22 Splitting Mica is perhaps the best example, as it splits into thin slices. They say she has a perfect cleavage. Feldspar easily splits in two directions, always at or near right angles. Luschak feldspar

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25 Hardness The hardness of a mineral is its resistance to scratching. Diamond is the hardest of all minerals, and talc is the softest.

Hardness 27 Talc (left) is the softest and has a hardness of 1. Soft pencil lead will scratch talc. The plaster is slightly harder and has a hardness of 2. Fingernails scratch the plaster.

Hardness 28 Calcite (left) has a hardness of 3 and a penny of copper just scratches it. Fluorite has a hardness of 4 and can be scratched with iron or copper nails.

Hardness 29 Apatite (left) has a hardness of 5 and can be scratched with a steel knife blade. Feldspar has a hardness of 6 and can scratch window glass.

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Hardness 30 Quartz (left) with a hardness of 7 is the hardest common mineral. It easily scratches hard glass and steel. The top has a hardness of 8 and quartz scratches.

Hardness 31 Corundum (left) has a hardness of 9. Corundum scratches the top. A diamond with a hardness of 10 can easily scratch other minerals.

32 Specific gravity Specific gravity shows how many times a mineral is denser than water. Compare the density of minerals with the density of water. Pure gold can have a specific gravity of up to 19.3!

5 Characteristics Of A Mineral

33 Stains Mineral stains are the color of the powder when applied to unglazed white tiles. This band is often different from the color of the mineral. Mineral color may vary, but banding is rare!

Naturally Occurring Van Der Waals Materials

34 Acid Test Calcite is calcium carbonate, CaCO3. If you put a drop of weak hydrochloric acid on calcite, the acid will bubble up as carbon dioxide.

MAGNETIC COFFEE OR MAGNETIC COFFEE A mineral that can be hammered or shaped has these properties. Examples: gold, silver, platinum. Some iron-containing minerals are magnetic and can be captured by a magnet. Example: magnetite

RADIOACTIVE FLUORESCENT This is a state that glows under ultraviolet light. Some minerals even glow when the lights are turned off! Some minerals, such as uraninite, are radioactive. They emit subatomic particles that activate Geiger counters.

Saltiness Birefringence Halite (rock salt) can be determined by taste. Some calcites cause double images when placed over words in books or objects.

Chapter 5 Objectives Define Mineral.

Talc is used in perfumes, powders, ceramics, paints. Halite is used as a flavoring and food preservative. Sulfur is used in fertilizers, matches and some antibiotics. Mica is used as an electronic insulator. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other precious stones are used in jewelry. Graphite is used in pencils and for creaking loops. Fluorite is used as a source of fluoride in toothpaste. Bauxite is an ore mined for aluminum. We use aluminum for cans, cling film, airplanes and more.

40 Ore Ore is rock that contains valuable minerals that can be mined or mined. The most valuable ore deposits contain metals important to industry and commerce, such as copper, gold, and iron. Gold copper ore is usually found in quartz, but often it is not always easy to see because it is inside this rock. iron ore

41 Gemstones A gemstone or gemstone (also called a precious or semiprecious stone) is an attractive piece of mineral that, after being worked and polished, is used to make jewelry or other ornaments. Valuable: Having beauty, strength, size, and rarity. (Diamond, Emerald, Opal, Ruby, Sapphire) Semi-precious: Only two of these gem qualities. (Quartz, Jade)

5 Characteristics Of A Mineral

Precious stones are usually found near the bottom of volcanoes or in underground caves. The magma that cools the volcano allows the minerals to coalesce. Underground caves rich in mineral water can form gemstones from minerals.

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More than 50 minerals have been mined in Virginia at one time or another. This has contributed greatly to the state’s economy, but sometimes has a negative impact on the health and safety of people and the environment. Gold, copper, gypsum and kyanite have been mined in Virginia.

In order for this website to function, we register user data and pass it on to a processor. To use this website, you must agree to our Privacy Policy, including our Cookie Policy. In geology, minerals are naturally occurring solid substances that have a well-defined chemical composition and crystal structure. Most minerals are inorganic, although some mineralogists allow minerals that are organic compounds or formed by organisms rather than geological processes. The word mineral comes from a medieval Latin word

, means ore or mine. Several thousand minerals are known. About a hundred of them are rock components.

Minerals include elements that occur in relatively pure form in nature as solids (natural elements) and compounds. However, unlike most compounds in chemistry, minerals often contain two or more elements that occupy the same position in the mineral.

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