1. 2.1 Minerals Are All Around Us
Minerals are basic building blocks of Earth

2. Minerals are all around us.
Minerals are used all the time.
Copper in the wires that carry electricity to a device
Table salt, or halite (HAYL-YT), is a mineral
Minerals and rocks are not the same.
Minerals
Formed in nature
Solid
Definite chemical makeup
Crystal structure
Always made up of the same materials in the same proportions
Rocks
Usually contains two or more types of minerals
Amounts of minerals may vary between the same types of rock

4. Minerals have four characteristics.
Is formed in nature
Is a solid
Has a definite chemical makeup
Has a crystal structure

5. Formed in Nature Minerals are formed by natural processes
Every mineral can form without involvement by living organisms
A few can be produced as part of an organisms shells or bones.
Form in many ways
Halite (table salt) is formed when ocean water evaporates
Granite develops when molten rock cools.
Talc (found in baby powder) is formed from the high pressure and temperature deep in Earth.

6. Solid A mineral has a definite volume and a rigid shape
Liquids and gases are not minerals unless they are in solid form
Examples
Liquid water is not a mineral, but ice is.
Copper is a mineral when in solid form, but melted copper is a liquid, so it is not considered a mineral.

7. Definite Chemical Makeup
Each mineral consists of a specific combination of atoms of certain elements.
Elements are substances that contain only one type of atom
Atoms are the smallest particle an element can be divided into
Everything is made up of atoms.
Some minerals (gold, copper) consist of one element of the same type
Most minerals are compounds, substances consisting of several elements in specific proportions (NaCl)
The types of atoms in a mineral help to make it unique
Atom bonds also help make it unique

10. Crystal Structure Arrangements of atoms are characteristic of minerals
Crystals are solids in which the atoms are arranged in an orderly, repeating, three-dimensional pattern
Each mineral has its own type of crystal structure
Two minerals can have the same chemical composition but different crystal structures.
Diamond and graphite
Consist only of carbon
Arrangement of the carbon atoms result in different crystal structures and properties.
Diamonds are extremely hard and have a brilliant sparkle.
Graphite is soft, gray, and dull.
Perfect crystals rarely form in nature.
Needs to form in open space
Amount of growing space influences shape and size of crystals.

14. Minerals are grouped according to composition.
Minerals are classified based on their chemical makeups
Out of thousands of minerals, only 30 are common in Earth’s crust
Called rock-forming minerals and make up most rocks in the crust.
Most common are silicates
Contain oxygen and silicon (most common elements in crust) joined together
Make up about 90 percent of the rocks in Earth’s crust
Most common rock-forming minerals are Quartz, Feldspar, Mica
Carbonates
Contain carbon and oxygen joined together
Second most common group of rock-forming minerals
Many other important mineral groups.
oxides contains the minerals from which most metals (tin, copper), are refined.
Consists of an element, usually a metal, joined to oxygen (hematite)

15. Minerals are grouped according to composition.
Silicates are the most common rock-forming mineral group.
Carbonates are the second most common mineral group.
The oxides group contains the minerals from which most metals are refined

16. Minerals are grouped according to composition.
Give three examples of silicates.
Quartz
Feldspar
Mica
What are rock-forming minerals? List some examples.
Rock-forming minerals are a group of about 30 minerals that make up most of the rocks in Earth’s crust. Some examples are quartz, feldspar, mica, and calcite.