Download Minerals

Minerals
What is a Mineral???
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Minerals are made up of elements
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In order to be a mineral there are 5 important
characteristics…..
1. It occurs naturally
2. It is solid
3. It has a definite chemical composition
4. Its atoms are arranged in an orderly pattern
5. It is inorganic (it was NEVER alive)
Which is Which?!
Minerals…
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There are over 4000 known minerals on
Earth
Some common minerals you might already
know are: gold, quartz, halite (salt), and
diamond
Some common matter that are NOT minerals
are…
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water (not a solid)
coal (made from plants that were once living and
doesn’t have a definite chemical composition)
The Earth’s Crust
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8 elements make up 98.5% of the Earth’s crust
These 8 element are the most common
46.6% Oxygen (O)
27.7% Silicon (Si)
8.1% Aluminum (Al)
5.0% Iron (Fe)
3.6% Calcium (Ca)
2.8% Sodium (Na)
2.6% Potassium (K)
2.1% Magnesium (Mg)
How do minerals form?
1.
2.
From magma – as the
magma cools,
minerals form
From evaporating
water – as the water
goes away elements
bond creating
minerals
Minerals are Compounds
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Most minerals are compounds – when two or
more elements combine
Examples:
Galena - compound of lead and sulfur
Quartz – compound of silicon and oxygen
Native minerals
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3 minerals that are not compounds, they are
only made up of one element
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We call these minerals native minerals
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Copper
Graphite
Gold
Structures of Minerals
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A crystal is a solid with smooth surfaces called crystal
faces.
Each mineral has a regular crystal shape.
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There are 6 common crystal shapes.
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If space is limited when the crystal is
growing the mineral might not take
this perfect crystal shape, but it will
just grow in the given space.
Crystal Structure and Physical
Properties
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Crystal structure also determines a mineral’s
cleavage, or the tendency to break along a
plane
Why does it do this?
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The mineral is weak in that area and breaks.
Gems
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Rare and beautiful minerals used in jewelry
Let’s Review
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Minerals are made up of elements.
Minerals can be made of materials that once lived,
like coal.
Minerals must be a solid.
Minerals can be man made.
Minerals have atoms that are arranged in an orderly
pattern.
There are over 4000 minerals, each having their
own unique crystal structure.
Mineral cleavage is how minerals break along a
plane.