Minerals

minerals

____ are the building blocks of rocks

natural inorganic

a mineral is a (unnatural/natural) (organic/inorganic) substance

chemical composition

a mineral has a particular ________ and a regular atomic structure

amorphous

the opposite of a mineral is a substance that is

amorphous

a ______ substance is one without a clearly defined shape or form

glass

an example of an amorphous material

organic

coal and oil can not be regarded as minerals because of their ______ content

physical and mechanical

minerals are responsible for the ______ behaviors of rocks

crystalline

minerals are ______ substances (geometry)

behavior

mineralogy controls

O and S

the 2 major components of continental rock composition

anionic

grouping of minerals is based on _______ group

Silicates

Mineral ground mainly consisting of Si and O

aluminosilicate

feldspar is considered a _____

kaolinite

1:1 clay ratio is called

bentonite

type of clay with a 2:1 ratio

clays

_____ are formed by both silica tetrahedral and aluminum octahedral layers

silica tetrahedra

Si structural unit for clays

aluminum octohedra

structural unit of clays made of Al

absorbs heavy metals, lowers water movement

the benefits of clay are ______ and ______

Chemically active

Clays are considered ______ because they absorb heavy metals and radioactive chemicals

calcite

specific type of carbonate mineral (non silicate) - CaCO3

dolomite

type of non silicate mineral, carbonates like limestone- CaMgCO3

Gypsum

non silicate mineral, Sulfate - CaCO4

feldspar

aluminosilicate

quartz

3D Silica - Tetrahedra

pyroxene

mineral that is a single chain silicate

Mica

type of sheet silicate mineral

Olivine

Example of a silicate mineral with single silicate structure

Calcite

CaCO3

Dolomite

type of Carbonate with Magnesium

Gypsum

type of non silicate mineral: CaSO4

hardness

resistance to scratching, determined by strength of atomic bonds & size and density

10

how many minerals are in Moh’s hardness scale

talc

softest mineral on Moh’s hardness scale ; hardness #1

diamond

hardest mineral on Moh’s hardness scale ; hardness #10

streak

physical characteristic to identify minerals when scraping a material and reading the resulting color

7

streak is not a good indicator for minerals with a hardness greater than

Luster

the way a mineral reflects light, metallic vs. non-metallic

break

a mineral can _____ in 2 ways, cleavage and fracture

cleavage

when breakage occurs along regularly spaced planes of weakness

cleavage

when a smooth break produces planes that reflects light

fracture

any irregular rupture of surfaces

2.6

Average specific gravity of silicates

solubility

physical characteristic to identify minerals; touch specimens with tongue

CaCO3

solubility test, if it has _____ it will fizz (form bubbles)