1. Chapter 5: Minerals of Earth’s Crust By Julia Dovnarovich Period 4

2. What is a Mineral? A mineral is a natural, usually inorganic solid that has a characteristic chemical composition, an orderly internal structure, and a characteristic set of physical properties.

3. Silicates A silicate mineral is a mineral that contains a combination of Silicon and Oxygen, and that may also contain one or more metals. 96% of Earth’s crust is made up of silicate minerals. Silicate minerals have 6 types of crystalline structures based on the arrangement of the Silicon-Oxygen tetrahedra.

4. Nonsilicates A nonsilicate mineral is a mineral that does not contain compounds of Silicon and Oxygen. Approximately 4% of Earth’s crust is made up of nonsilicate minerals. There are 6 major groups of nonsilicate minerals: Carbonates, Halides, Native Elements, Oxides, Sulfates and Sulfides.

5. Properties Used to Identify Minerals 1.Color 2.Streak 3.Luster 4.Cleavage and Fracture 5.Hardness 6.Crystal Shape 7.Density

6. Special Properties Fluorescence Phosphorescence Chatoyancy Asterism Double Refraction Magnetism Radioactivity