GRP 4 & 5

• What is mineralogy?

  The scientific study of minerals
• Why is mineralogy important?

  It aids in resource identification and geological understanding
• What properties of minerals are crucial for civil engineering?

  Hardness, durability, and resistance to weathering
• How do minerals affect construction materials?

  They influence strength and longevity
• Which minerals provide strength in granite?

  Quartz and feldspar
• What is the role of calcite in civil engineering?

  Essential for cement production
• What influences material properties like porosity?

  The crystalline structure of minerals
• What defines a crystal?

  A solid with a highly ordered atomic pattern
• How do crystals form?

  When substances come together as a liquid evaporates or cools
• What are the three main ways crystals form?

  Precipitation, cooling of magma, metamorphism
• What happens during the cooling of magma?

  Atoms arrange into solid crystal structures
• How does slow cooling of magma affect crystal size?

  It produces large crystals
• How do crystals form through precipitation?

  Dissolved minerals crystallize as water evaporates
• Where can precipitation of crystals occur?

  Salt flats, caves, and seawater
• What is metamorphism in crystal formation?

  Rearrangement of minerals under heat and pressure
• How do diamonds and graphite differ despite being made of carbon?

  Different crystal structures lead to different uses
• What is a lattice in crystal structure?

  An infinite periodic array of points in space
• What is a basis in crystal structure?

  A group of atoms associated with lattice points
• How is crystal structure defined?

  By the combination of basis and lattice
• What are the two types of crystals?

  Single crystal and polycrystal
• What is a unit cell in crystal structure?

  The smallest building block of a crystal
• What are the types of cubic crystal systems?

  Simple cubic, face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic
• What defines a simple cubic crystal?

  Particles at the corners of unit cells
• What defines a face-centered cubic crystal?

  Particles at face centers and corners
• What defines a body-centered cubic crystal?

  Particles at body center and corners
• What are the seven unique arrangements of crystals?

  Simple cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, rhombohedral, monoclinic, triclinic, hexagonal
• What are the optical properties of crystals?

  Interaction with light, including transparency and refraction
• What does chemical composition and stability refer to in crystals?

  Elements and compounds making up a crystal
• What are physical properties of crystals?

  Observable characteristics without changing composition
• What is the Mohs scale used for?

  Rating the hardness of crystals
• What is cleavage in crystals?


  Ability to break along specific planes
• What is fracture in crystals?

  Irregular breakage when lacking cleavage
• What does luster describe in crystals?

  How a crystal's surface reflects light
• How does color in crystals depend on?

  The crystal's chemical composition and impurities
• What does specific gravity measure in crystals?

  A crystal's density compared to water
• What does transparency refer to in crystals?

  Ability to transmit light
• What is refraction in crystals?

  Bending of light as it passes through
• How does refraction relate to crystal properties?

  It is influenced by the crystal's structure
• What is the specific gravity of pumice?

  Low specific gravity
• Why can pumice float on water?

  It has a low specific gravity