Mineralogy

• Mineralogy - is a fundamental branch of geology that focuses on the study of minerals, which are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure.
• Mineralogists - who specialize in mineralogy they investigate various aspects of minerals.
• The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote his Meteorologica, and in it theorized that all the known substances were comprised of water, air, earth, and fire, with the properties of dryness, dampness, heat, and cold.
• The ancient Greek writers Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.) and Theophrastus (370-285 B.C.E.) were the first in the Western tradition to write of minerals and their properties, as well as metaphysical explanations for them.
• In ancient China, the oldest literary listing of minerals dates to at least the 4th century BC, with the Ji Ni Zi book listing twenty-four of them
• the International Mineralogical Association is an organization whose members represent mineralogists in individual countries
• As of 2004 there are over 4,000 species of mineral recognized by the IMA. Of these, perhaps 150 can be called "common, " another 50 are "occasional, " and the rest are "rare" to "extremely rare."
• Pan - Separating gold particles from less dense materials found in loose deposits like gravel and soil.
• Suction Tweezer - It is used for easy extraction of tiny gold or gold dust.
• Magnifier - It is used for closer look and study small rocks
• Rock Hammer - It is used for splitting and breaking rocks
• Shovel - It is a tool used to dig, lift, and transport bulk materials like dirt, rock, gravel, snow, sand, or minerals.
• Rock Chisel - a cutting tool with a sharpened edge at the end of a metal blade, is used often by driving with a mallet or hammer in dressing, shaping, or working a solid material such as wood, stone, or metal.
• Pick Mattock - it is a very useful instrument that combines the pointed tip of a pick, used for digging out hard soil and rock, with an adze, which may be used to cut through roots.
• Sluices - It is a tiny flow restrictions form low pressure pockets where the gold collects. Sluices are an effective tool for collecting gold, but they don’t work without water.
• .Understanding mineral composition of construction materials is crucial for assessing their sustainability and performance
• Helps CEs identify and characterize geological formations and hazards that may impact
• Plays a role in the selection and optimization of construction materials and techniques.
• Center of Symmetry - exists in a crystal if an imaginary line can be extended from any point on its surface through its center and a similar point is present along the line equidistant from the center.
• Axis of Symmetry - An imaginary line is drawn through the center of a crystal that replicates the exact shape if the crystal is turned to 360°.
• Plane of Symmetry - When an imaginary plane is passed through a crystal such that the portion of the crystal on one side of the crystal is a reflection, or mirror image, of the portion on the other side of the crystal.
• Axis of Rotary Inversion (Rotoinversion Axis) - A combination of symmetry operations: rotation and inversion. Where a crystal is rotated to a specific degree and inverted through its center, it will appear unchanged.
• Screw-Axis of Symmetry - It combines rotation and translation that makes a repeated pattern along the screw axis. It is formed when the crystal is rotated 180° around an axis and translated perpendicular to that direction.
• Glide-Plane of Symmetry - Combination of symmetry operations: reflection and translation. It occurs when a crystal is reflected through and translated parallel to the plane. This results in a repeating pattern within the crystal lattice.
• Hardness - Ability of matter to be rigid and resist pressure
• Brittleness - Ability to break easily.
• Flexibility - Ability of matter to be bent without breaking.
• Elasticity - Ability of matter to be stretched and return to its original shape.
• Conductivity - Ability to let heat and electricity to pass through
• Malleability - Ability to be hammered into thin sheets.
• Ductility - Ability to drawn into wires.
• Porosity - Ability to absorb liquid rough.
• Quartz - is a common mineral found in many places around the world, including in sand, granite, and various types of rocks.
• Quartz - forms when silica-rich fluids or molten rock cools and solidifies underground, creating crystals.
• Feldspar - is the name given to a group of naturally occurring alumino-silicate minerals containing varying amounts of potassium, sodium, calcium, and lithium.
• Feldspar - group of minerals is by far the most abundant group of minerals in the Earth’s crust, making up about 60% of all rocks.
• Augite - A rock-forming mineral that commonly occurs in mafic and intermediate igneous rocks such basalt , gabbro, andesite, and diorite
• Augite - can also be found in ultramafic rocks and some metamorphic rocks.
• Hornblende - is a inosilicate amphibole minerals
• Ferrohornblende and magnesiohornblende are two type hornblende minerals