minerals

• minerals- homogenous, naturally occurring substance formed through geological process.

  • Naturally occurring
  • Solid at room temperature
  • Inorganic
  • Fixed chemical structure
• properties of minerals

  1. streak
  2. luster
  3. hardness
  4. cleavage
  5. fracture
  6. color
  7. crystal habit
  8. density
  9. tenacity
  10. diaphaneity
  11. magnetism
  12. effervescence
  13. odor and taste
• streak- color of the powder left behind when you rub a mineral against a white tile called a "streak plate".
• luster- the way the surface of a mineral reflects light, either metallic or non metallic
• hardness- mineral's ability to resist being scratched.
• Mohs scale of mineral hardness- by Fredrich Mohs. Talc is the softest and diamond is the hardest.

  (3) tester: fingernail, penny, nail
• mohs hardness scale

  
• cleavage- is the way a mineral breaks. refers to the tendency of a mineral to break along preferred planes called zones of weakness.
• fracture- breakage that is not flat. two main kinds of fracture: conchoidal (shell-shaped) and uneven.
• density- This refers to the ratio between a mineral’s weight and the weight of a specific volume of water.
• color- It refers to the wavelengths of light reflected by the minerals.
• Crystal Habit or Shape- This refers to the shape of each crystal or an aggregate of crystals.
• Tenacity- This describes how well a mineral handles stress, such as breaking, crushing, bending, or tearing.
• brittle- Minerals susceptible to cracking or breaking 
• elastic- mineral that deforms under stress but snaps back to its original shape
• flexible- mineral is deformed under stress but doesn’t go back to its original shape
• malleable- Metallic minerals such as gold, copper, or silver, they can be flattened into sheets.

  ductile- Copper, it can be drawn into thin wires without breaking.

  Sectile- minerals such as gold or gypsum can be carved into thin sheets with a knife.
• Diaphaneity- This refers to how well light travels through a mineral.
• Transparent- almost all light travel
• translucent- only allow some light to travel and exit the minerals.
• opaque- do not allow light to travel through
• magnetism- This describes the magnetic property of a mineral.
• magnetite- strongly magnetic
• lodestone- a type of magnetized magnetite that can magnetically attract other materials.
• Effervescence- This describes a mineral’s reaction to a strong acid such as HCl.
• most abundant elements

  A) oxygen

  B) magnesium

  C) potassium

  D) sodium

  E) calcium

  F) iron

  G) aluminum

  H) silicon

  
• silicates- the most common mineral group