ESCI 02 HANDOUT 1

• Mineral


  Naturally occurring substance that is solid and stable at room temperature, representable by a chemical formula, usually abiogenic/inorganic, and has an ordered atomic structure
• As of July, 2015, there are 5048 valid species of minerals in the list of International Mineralogical Association (IMA)
• The silicate minerals compose over 90% of the Earth's crust
• Silicon and oxygen constitute approximately 75% of the Earth's crust, which translates directly into the predominance of silicate minerals
• Common Distinguishing Characteristics of Minerals

  • Crystal structure and habit
  • Hardness
  • Luster
  • Diaphaneity
  • Color
  • Streak
  • Tenacity
  • Cleavage
  • Fracture
  • Parting
  • Specific gravity
• Five (5) Requirements a Material has to meet to be considered as Mineral


  • Naturally occurring
  • Inorganic/Abiogenic
  • Stable at room temperature
  • With a definite chemical composition
  • Has an ordered internal structure
• Mohs Hardness Scale


  Measures the hardness of a material, is a purely ordinal scale
• Mohs Hardness Scale


  • Talc (1) is the softest, diamond (10) is the hardest
  • Hardness is measured by finding the hardest material that the given material can scratch, and/or the softest material that can scratch the given material
• Corundum (9) is twice as hard as topaz (8), but diamond (10) is four (4) times as hard as corundum
• Environmental Conditions Indicated by Minerals

  • pH - Acid or Alkaline
  • Redox Conditions
  • Drainage or water activity
  • Landscape or Catenaries' Position
  • Temperature & Climate
  • Transported vs. in situ regolith
• Minerals as Indicators of Specific Environment Conditions


  • Can be used as indicators on a variety of scales ranging from micro to macro to profile to landscape to continental scale
• Importance of Minerals


  • Presence in food keeps us energized and active
  • Used in construction industry
  • Used in agriculture
  • Used in chemical industry
• Typical examples of industrial rocks and minerals are limestone, clays, sand, gravel, diatomite, kaolin, bentonite, silica, barite, gypsum, and talc
• The evaluation of raw materials to determine their suitability for use as industrial minerals requires technical testwork
• Environmental Damage from Mineral Development

  • Air, land, and water pollution
  • Damage of vegetation
  • Ecological disturbance
  • Degradation of natural landscape
  • Geological hazards
• Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic crystalline substances with physical and chemical properties with prescribed limits
• Rocks are aggregates of a mineral or minerals
• There are over 5000 minerals, however only a few are necessary to identify most of the rocks