Review of Foldable Notes Minerals Review of Foldable Notes

What is a Mineral? Formed by natural process. Inorganic – are not made by a life process. Has a chemical composition. Crystalline solids – repeating pattern of atoms ~ 4,000 minerals on the Earth.

The Structure of Minerals Crystal – is a solid. In this solid form atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern. 6 Major crystal systems (Figure 3, p. 10)

6 Crystal Systems 1. Cubic – ex: Fluorite. 2. Hexagonal – ex: Quartz. 3. Tetragonal – ex: Zircon. 4. Orthorhombic – ex: Barite. 5. Monoclinic – ex: Orthoclase. 6.Triclinic – ex: Rhodonite.

Crystal Formation Crystals form 2 natural processes: Magma From Solution

Magma Crystals Magma = melted rock. Cools when reaches Earth’s surface. As magma cools – Atoms loose energy and its atoms move closer together.

Slow Cooling Magma – Large crystals Fast Cooling Magma – Small Crystals

Crystals in Solution Water evaporates and leaves ions / minerals. Occurs in a dry climate. Ex: Salt water.

Crystal formation in solution can occur if too much of a substance is dissolved in water. Will form crystals in the solution. This is called precipitation.

Mineral Composition and Groups 98 % of Earth’s crust is composed of 90 naturally occurring elements. 8 Common minerals of Earth’s crust Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, &Magnesium.

Silicates Silicates – minerals that contain Silicon (Si), Oxygen (O), and usually 1 more element. Silicon and Oxygen are the most abundant elements of the Earth’s crust.

Calcite