Minerals

• mineraloids

  • Or amorphous materials
  • Not minerals bc no internal structure
  • Naturally occurring
• polymorphous 

  • Ability not a substance to crystallize in more than one configuration 
  • Occurring in several different forms or stages
• Rocks characteristics

  • made up of one or more minerals (limestone)
  • aggregate of minerals or other minerals (e.g., granite
  • some rocks may be composed of non-mineral materials
  • organic debris
• Rocks, loosely define as any solid of:

  • Aggregate of minerals 
  • Mass of mineral-like matter 
  • Process of preexisting rocks 
• Physical Properties of Minerals

  1. Color
  2. Streak
  3. Luster
  4. diaphanieity
  5. Habit
  6. Hardness
  7. Cleavage
  8. Fracture
  9. Magnetism
  10. fluorescence
  11. Reaction to acid
  12. Taste
  13. Odor
• • Absorption, réflection, transformation, and refraction of light 
  • Idiochromatic minerals
  • Minerals of 1 color
  • Diagnosis property 
  • Azure (blue), malachite (green), sulfur (yellow)
  • Allochromatic minerals
  • Range of colors 
  • Due to chemical substitution and impurities
  • Varieties of quartz 
• Minerals Characteristics

  1. Naturally occurring
  2. inorganic
  3. homogenous solid
  4. definite chemical composition
  5. ordered internal structure
• Naturally occurring

  • made by natural, geologic processes 
  • Not made by synthetic or artificial minerals
  • e.g., sugar, but because of glucose, it becomes organic 
  • e.g., NaCl 
  • Chert, aragonite 
  • Ice, NaCl 
  • Liquid water
  • Not a mineral as it is not a  homogenous solid
• • Definite Chemical Composition 
  • Chemical formula 
  • e.g., pyrite, sulfur 
• • Ordered Internal Structure 
  • Originally segmented 
• Color

  • Absorption, réflection, transformation, and refraction of light