1. Mineral Formation and Uses

2. #1
Describe the differences in crystal size caused by slow cooling and fast cooling magma.
Slow cooling magma will create large crystals because they have so long to grow.
Fast cooling magma will create smaller crystals because they don’t have enough time to form.

3. #2
Give an example of a solution. Name the solute and the solvent in this solution.
Salt Water = Solution
Water = Solvent
Salt = Solute

4. #3
Other than magma’s rate of cooling, what are two other things that crystal size depends on?
Chemical Composition
Amount of gas inside the magma

5. #4
What are the two processes that form minerals? Give an example of each.
Crystallization of Solutions (materials dissolved in water)
Hot Water Solutions AND Evaporation
Crystallization of Melted Materials
Magma

6. #5
On a recent trip to Diamond Crater National Park, a family was lucky enough to find a diamond. They brought it home and had it set in a ring.
Gemstone: The the park
Gem: The diamond in the ring

7. Name three minerals and their uses.#6
Name three minerals and their uses.
Gypsum: Used to make stucco, wallboard, and cement.
Quartz: Used in the production of glass.
Talc: Found in talcum powder.

8. What is an alloy? Give an example.#7
What is an alloy? Give an example.
A solid mixture of two or more metals.
Example: Stainless steel won’t rust.

9. #8
Describe ores.
A rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral.
Most often, these metals are not pure - they may contain other minerals or elements.

10. Describe the process of smelting.#9
Describe the process of smelting.
Before an ore can be processed, it must be smelted.
The ore is heated to separate the useful metal from other substances it contains.
The heat melts the metal and causes it to separate from the ore’s impurities.

11. #10
What is a shaft mine?
Shaft mining is best for ore that occurs in veins.
It consists of a network of tunnels that go far underground and follow the veins of ore.

12. #11
What is a strip mine?
Geologists remove layers of soil and expose the ore that lies close to the surface.

13. #12 What is an open pit mine?
Miners dig a gigantic pit. Ore deposits typically start near the surface, but extend far underground.

14. What are the two places where minerals are most commonly found?
#13
What are the two places where minerals are most commonly found?
Mountain Ranges
Volcanoes

15. #14
What is a vein?
A narrow channel or slab of mineral that is remarkably different from the surrounding rock.

16. Describe hot water solutions.
#15
Describe hot water solutions.
Created when ocean water seeps into cracks in the ocean floor. The water then flows downward toward the mantle, becoming hot.
As the hot water moves through the rock it dissolves minerals from the surrounding rock.
This solution will eventually escape back into the ocean through a vent, and the minerals inside the solution will crystallize.

17. How do minerals form from evaporation?
#16
How do minerals form from evaporation?
The liquid in a solution evaporates leaving the minerals dissolved inside of it to crystallize.
Think about your petri dishes. The water from the salt water solution evaporated and left behind the salt, which crystallized.

18. #17
What is a prospector?
Anyone who searches for an ore deposit.

19. How do geologists restore the Earth after strip mining?
#18
How do geologists restore the Earth after strip mining?
The surface is often graded and the soil is replaced. This prevents future erosion from occurring.