ROCKS & MINERALS

 Minerals are always solid with particles in repeating patterns- crystals  They are only found in Nature.  They are formed in the Earth’s mantle (from heat and pressure) – near the surface when oxygen, calcium and carbon combine in the ocean, and when hot, mineral-rich water moves slowly through the cracks in the Earth’s crust.

EXAMPLES OF MINERALS: Quartz Calcite Iron Hematite Diamond Calcite

PROPERTIES OF MINERALS:  Streak: color of the powder left behind when you rub a mineral against a white tile called a streak plate.  Luster: the way the surface of a mineral reflects light, either metallic (shiny) or nonmetallic (dull)  Hardness: a mineral’s ability to resist being scratched as measured by Mohs’s hardness scale

USES OF MINERALS: Quartz makes glass. Diamonds make jewelry. Many things that we see and use every day are made from iron. Hematite can be used to make art.

What are three testers that can be used to determine a mineral’s hardness? fingernail, penny, nail

ROCKS:  Rocks are made up of two or more minerals.  They are not crystals  Some rocks form near the surface while others deep in the crust.  There are THREE major categories of Rocks: 1.IGNEOUS 2.SEDIMENTARY 3.METAMORPHIC

IGNEOUS ROCKS:  Form when melted rocks harden  Fine-grained rocks (smooth) are from lava  Coarse-grained rocks (rough) are from magma. ObsidianBasaltPumiceGranite

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:  Formed from layers of sediment, created by weathering, and erosion, that are dropped from moving water, and are squeezed and stuck together.  Fossils are usually found in sedimentary rocks.  Conglomerate rocks have large pieces and rom in shallow water  Siltstone is made up of smaller pieces  Limestone is made up of fine grained rock  Sandstone is made up of grains the size of sand. Fossil conglomerate rock Limestone Sandstone

METAMORPHIC ROCKS  Existing rocks are changed through high heat and pressure to form different rocks  morph = change Schist Gneiss Marble Slate

ROCK CYCLE  Like most cycles, the materials are used over and over.  Process include weathering, erosion, deposition, melting, compaction, and cementation.