Minerals and its Characteristics

Minerals

Building blocks of rocks

Minerals in the Mining Industry

Refers to anything taken out of the ground (coal, iron ore, sand, gravel)

Minerals in Geology

Minerals are any naturally occurring inorganic solid that possesses and orderly crystalline structure and can be represented by chemical formula

Characteristics of a Mineral

Naturally occurring

Solid substance

Orderly crystalline structure

Generally Inorganic

Can be represented by a chemical formula

Naturally Occurring

Synthetic materials, meaning those produced in a laboratory or by human intervention, are not considered materials

Solid Substance

Only crystalline substances that are solid at temperatures encountered at Earth's surface are considered minerals

Orderly Crystalline Structure

Orderly, repetitive packing of atoms

Generally Inorganic

Refers to substances that are not derived from living organisms and typically lack C-H bonds

Can be represented by a chemical formula

Most minerals are chemical compounds and can therefore be represented using a fixed or variable chemical formula

Luster

Appearance of quality of light reflected on surface

Metallic, Submetallic, Nonmetallic

Submetallic Luster

Look somewhat dull or tarnished, as if they have a weathered metallic surface

Nonmetallic

Generally not shiny nor reflective

Ability to transmit light

Opaque, translucent, transparent

Opaque

No light is transmitted

Translucent

Light but not an image is transmitted

Transparent

Both light and image is revisible

Color Streak

Color of the material in powder form

Crystal Shape

Shape of a crystal or aggregate of crystals

Mineral Strength

How easily minerals break or deform under stress

Tenacity

A minerals toughness or its resistance to breaking or deforming

Brittleness

Shatter into small pieces when struck

Malleable

Easily hammered into different shapes

Hardness

A measure of the resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching

Cleavage

Tendency of a mineral to break along plans of weak bonding