A

• Resource


  Stock or supply of anything that can be drawn on by anyone to function effectively
• Mineral


  A solid, inorganic substance of natural occurrence

  
• Characteristics of minerals


  • Naturally Occurring
  • Inorganic
  • Solid
  • Definite chemical composition
  • Ordered internal structure

  
• Mineral Classifications by Composition

  • Silicates
  • Oxides
  • Sulfides
  • Sulfates
  • Halides
  • Carbonates
  • Natives / Native metals

  
• Silicates


  • Composed primarily of silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons (SiO4^2-)
• Silicate minerals


  • Olivine ((Mg, Fe)2SiO4)
  • Quartz (SiO2)
• Oxides


  • Consist of metal cations bonded to oxygen anions (O2-)
• Oxide minerals


  • Magnetite (Fe3O4)
  • Hematite (Fe2O3)
• Sulfides


  • Consist of metal cations bonded to sulfides (S2-); commonly found mineral alongside oxides since metals are found in large proportions in the minerals
• Sulfide minerals


  • Galena (PbS)
  • Pyrite (FeS2)
• Sulfates


  • Consist of metal cations bonded to sulfate (SO4^2-) anionic groups; usually precipitate out of the water near the Earth's surface
• Sulfate minerals


  • Gypsum (CaSO4 · 2H2O)
  • Barite / Baryte (BaSO4)
• Halides


  • Consist of metal cations bonded to halogens
• Halide minerals


  • Halite / Rock salt (NaCl)
  • Fluorite (CaF2)
• Carbonates


  • Consist of minerals with carbonic ion present that easily bond with metals
• Carbonate minerals


  • Calcite (CaCO3)
  • Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2)
• Natives / Native metals


  • Consist of singular metal elements
• Native metal minerals


  • Copper (Cu)
  • Gold (Au)
• Crystal Structure


  • Formation of the mineral according to its chemical composition

  
• Crystal Systems


  • Isometric
  • Monoclinic
  • Orthorhombic
  • Tetragonal
  • Hexagonal
  • Triclinic

  
• Isometric


  • Common crystal system whose unit cell is in the shape of a cube (a1, a2, a3)
• Monoclinic


  • Crystal structure whose axes [(x, y, z) OR (a, b, c)] have different lengths; both x- and z-axes meet at 90° while the y-axis does not
• Orthorhombic


  • Crystal structure whose axes [(x, y, z) OR (a, b, c)] have different lengths; all three (3) axes meet at 90°
• Tetragonal


  • Crystal structure whose two (2) axes [(x1, x2) OR (a1, a2)] have equal lengths while the third axis (z OR c) is longer; all three (3) axes meet at 90°
• Hexagonal


  • Has four (4) crystallographic axes consisting of three (3) equilateral axes [(x1, x2, x3) OR (a1, a2, a3)] angling at 120° to each other, with one (1) perpendicular axis (z OR c); trigonal formations are categorized here
• Triclinic


  • The rhombohedron system; crystal system that is similar to the isometric system, but it has been skewed to one (1) side, making it oblique
• Habit


  The typical outward appearance of a mineral's crystal form

  
• Mineral Habits


  • Acicular
  • Banded
  • Bladed
  • Botryoidal
  • Columnar
  • Cubic
  • Dendritic
  • Dodecahedral
  • Drusy
  • Fibrous
  • Foliated
  • Geodic
  • Granular
  • Hopper
  • Massive
  • Nodular
  • Octahedral
  • Oolitic
  • Pisolitic
  • Prismatic
  • Radiating
  • Rosette
  • Stalactitic
  • Striated
  • Tabular

  
• Acicular


  • Crystals have a needle-like shape that ends in a blunt termination; can cluster to form fan-shaped or radially-shaped aggregates
• Banded


  • Have narrow layers (bands) of different color and/or texture; may be a response to changes in the composition of the mineral's growth, the sedimentary process, or other conditions

  
• Bladed


  • Elongated crystals whose length exceeds the width and its width exceeds the mineral's thickness; ends sometimes taper to a point; shaped similarly to a sword or knife blade
• Botryoidal


  • Mineral aggregates are round; aka. globular or mammillary; Gk. botruoeides, "a bunch of grapes"
• Columnar


  • Long prisms whose widths exceeds the acicular type; may contain multiple parallel crystals in one "column"
• Cubic


  • Crystals with six square faces and four-fold rotational symmetry around three (3) axes
• Dendritic


  • Minerals that form a branching pattern similar to a tree or a leaf vein; Gk. dendron, "tree"
• Dodecahedral


  • Minerals that have 12 flat faces
• Drusy


  • Surface is covered in small crystals (druse)
• Fibrous


  • Minerals occur in very fine, fiber-like crystals, reminiscent of hair or fur; thinner than acicular crystals; aggregates similarly with acicular crystals
• Foliated


  • Sheet-like crystal habit; aka. micaceous, as most mica minerals have this habit; minerals with this habit can be cut into thin sheets

  
• Geodic


  • Minerals aggregate in rounded or oblate masses through crystallization on the inside walls of a hollow cavity; bands eventually develop, gradually filling in the cavity without filling it completely; these aggregates are called geodes