Geology 5/15 - Notes + Flashcard

**include rock cycle pic

Mineral

A naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite composition and internal crystalline structure.

Mineral halite is composed of…

sodium and chlorine.

Internal Crystalline Structure

The arrangement of atoms within a mineral

X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)

The position of the atoms in the crystalline structure that gives an X-ray pattern

Crystal Growth

The process where crystals form by atoms attaching to a seed crystal.

Cleavage

The way a mineral naturally breaks along certain planes.

Silicate Minerals

Most common, most abundant, located on the crust, can form a variety of bonds, creating different types of forms of rock.

Mineral Resources

Natural deposits of minerals that can be extracted for various uses, such as metallic and nonmetallic resources.

Minerals like diamond and graphite have similar compositions (both are composed of carbon)… but in what ways do they tell apart?

diamond is harder because it is covalently bonded, while graphite is bonded by Van Der Waals interactions

amorphis

no regular pattern in crystalline structure

What does slow solidification of a melt produce?

large crystals

What does very fast solidification of a melt produce?

glass

what does crystal size indicate

the temperature in which it grew

color property of sulfur

yellow

What is an example of the hardest mineral on the Mohs scale?

diamond

What is an example of a mineral that gives off a red streak?

hematite

example of cleavage

halite has 3 planes that are 90 degrees

mafic (ferro) minerals

lots of iron, dark colored rocks, more dense

felsic (non-ferro) minerals

Lots of quartz and silicon, light-colored rocks, less dense

Non silicate Minerals:

Not as common, located deep inside the Earth

Oxides:

metals bound with oxygen, iron ores

sulfides

metals bound with sulfur

What type of minerals are halides

evaporate minerals

What purpose can carbonates serve

useful for creating sediment

one of the fuctions of phosphates

helps creates fertilizer for plants

Characteristics of silicate minerals are based off of…

how the tetrahedra is linked together

Mineral Resources: Metallic →

conduct electricity, metallic bonds bent/drawn/hammered, rare, popular for currency

Mineral Resources: Nonmetallic mineral example→

kaolin, quartz, sand, gypsum, halite, also aggregates and building stone.

Example of magmatic mineral resource

galena, mercury, zinc, nickel, silver.

Mineral Resources: Hydrothermal deposits

the accumulation of minerals in fractures and cavities resulting from the circulation of hot waters in the Earth's crust.

Example of hydrothermal deposit resource

copper, gold

Mineral Resources: Black smokers:

the heating of water and minerals below the surface, creating a black sulfide mineral cloud coming out in a chimney form

Mineral Resources: Secondary Enrichment:

ore concentrating process that occurs when metals are leached from the surface. rocks and precipitated just below the water table

example of secondary enrichment resource

copper, zinc, and lead

Mineral Resources: Sedimentary deposits:

formed through the accumulation of sediments on or near the Earth's surface.

Example of sedimentary deposit resource

BIF’s manganese, nodules, kaolinite

Mineral Resources: Residual:

Left behind minerals getting carried away by a stream

Example of residual mineral resource

bauxite, aluminum

Mineral Resources: Placer deposit:

grains of a valuable mineral like gold or the rare earths are mixed with sand deposited by a river or glacier

Example of placer deposits resource

gold, diamond

(Rock Cycle, Letter A) Weathering and erosion, sedimentation and lithification

Happens only a few km below the surface, <200C, forms sedimentary rocks

(Letter B of Rock Cycle) Melting, followed by cooling and solidification

Magma 50-250 km down into the Earth crystalizes at >800C and forms Igneous Rocks

(Rock Cycle, Letter C) Heat and pressure accompanied by chemical activity

Below sedimentary and igneous formations, form metamorphic rocks. Igneous rocks melt, creating metamorphic rocks