Minerals Chapter 3

What is a Mineral? It is a solid Has a crystalline structure It is inorganic Formed in nature Has a definite chemical composition

Elements Elements are pure substances that cannot be broken down by chemical means 117+ elements

Atom Smallest part of an element Building block of the element All materials are made up of 1 or more elements

Compounds Substance made up of two or more elements that have chemically combined or bonded together Example: Sodium Chloride (NaCl) 1 atom of Na, 1 atom of Cl Table salt

Crystalline Structure Solid geometric forms of minerals that contain a repeating pattern of atoms

Types of Minerals Silicates Nonsilicates Contains combination of Silicon (Si) and Oxygen (O) Nonsilicates Can contain Silicon or Oxygen but not both together

Silicates Make up 90% of the minerals in the Earth’s crust Contain Silicon and Oxygen as well as other elements Example: Feldspar SI, O, Al, K, Na and Ca

Nonsilicates Native Elements Carbonates Halides Composed of only one element Carbonates Carbon and Oxygen Calcite CaCO3 Halides Fluorine, chlorine, iodine or bromine combine with Sodium, potassium or calcium

Nonsilicates Oxides Sulfates Sulfides Any element plus oxygen Magnetite = FeO Sulfates Sulfur plus Oxygen Sulfides One or more elements except Oxygen plus Sulfur