1. Chapter 3 Minerals of Earth’s Crust
What is a Mineral
Chapter 3 Minerals of Earth’s Crust

2. Mineral
A naturally formed, inorganic solid that has a definite crystalline structure

3. Questions to ask yourself
Is it a nonliving material?
A mineral is inorganic, meaning it isn’t made of living things
Is it a solid
Minerals cant be gases or liquids
Does it have a crystalline structure
Minerals are crystals, which have a repeating inner structure that is often reflected in the shape of a crystal. Minerals generally have the same chemical composition throughout
Is it formed in nature?
Crystalline materials made by people aren’t classified as minerals.

4. What is an
Pure substance that cannot be broken down.

5. What is a Compound made of?
Compound- a substance made of TWO or more elements that have been CHEMICALLY combined.
Ex: Halite (NaCl)

6. Crystals
A solid whose atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite pattern
Geometric forms of minerals produced by a repeating pattern of atoms
Shape is determined by arrangement of atoms

7. Two Groups of Minerals
Most common classification of minerals is based on chemical composition.
Silicate Minerals
Nonsilicate Minerals

8. Silicate Minerals
Minerals that contain a combination of silicon and oxygen as well as other elements.
Make up more than 90% of the Earth’s crust
Other common elements they combine with include: aluminum, iron, magnesium and potassium.

9. Common Silicate Minerals
Feldspar
Quartz
Mica

10. Nonsilicate Minerals
Minerals that do not contain a combination of the elements silicon and oxygen.
Some include carbon, oxygen, fluorine, and sulfur.
Classes of nonsilicate minerals:
Native Elements
Carbonates
Halides
Oxides
Sulfates
Sulfides
Spinel
Gypsum
Halite
Galena
Hematite
Pyrite
Calcite

11. Native Elements Minerals composed of only one element
Ex: copper, gold, silver
Used in communications and electronic equipment

12. Carbonates
Minerals that contain combinations of carbon and oxygen in their chemical structure.
Used in cement, building stones and fireworks

13. Halides
Compounds that form when fluorine, chlorine, iodine, or bromine combine with sodium potassium or calcium.
Used in the chemical industry and in detergents

14. Oxides
Compounds that form when an element such as aluminum or iron combines chemically with oxygen.
Used to make abrasives, aircraft parts and paint

15. Sulfates Minerals that contain sulfur and oxygen
Used in cosmetics, toothpaste, cement, and paint.

16. Sulfides
Minerals that contain one or more elements, such as lead, iron or nickel, combined with sulfur.
Used to make batteries, medicines, and electronic parts.

17. Assignment
Section Review Chapter 3 Section 1

18. Identifying Minerals
We use several different properties to help identify minerals
Color
Luster
Streak
Cleavage and Fracture
Hardness
Density
Special Properties

19. Color The same mineral can often come in a variety of colors
Not the best way to identify a mineral
All 3 are Pyrite (fools gold)

20. Luster The way a surface reflects light
Minerals have metallic, submetallic or nonmetallic luster
Shiny = metallic
Dull = submetallic or nonmetallic

21. Types of Mineral Luster
Bright and Reflective
Dull and Plastic
Dull and Reflective

22. Streak Color of a mineral in powdered form
Found by rubbing the mineral against a piece of unglazed porcelain called a streak plate
The color of the mineral’s streak is not always the same as the color of the mineral sample
Good way to identify a mineral

23. Different types of minerals break in different ways
Different types of minerals break in different ways. The way a mineral breaks is determined by the arrangement of its atoms.
Cleavage
The splitting of a mineral along smooth, flat surfaces.
Fracture
The manner in which a mineral breaks along either curved or irregular surfaces

24. Hardness A minerals resistance to being scratched
We use Mohhs Hardness scale to determine the hardness
To identify a mineral scratch the surface of a mineral with the edge of one of the 10 reference minerals.
If it scratches the reference mineral your mineral is harder

25. Mohs Hardnes Scale

26. Density Measure of how much matter is in a given object
Ratio of an objects mass to it’s volume
Measured in grams per cubic centimeter
Water is used as a reference because we know it has a density of 1g/cm3

27. Special Properties
Some properties are particular to only a few types of minerals.

28. Assignment
Section Review 3-2 page 73 #1-8