Minerals

By Your teachers awesome assistantMay his awesome manliness last

forever

What is a Mineral?

• Minerals are crystalized nonliving substances with tight bonds between the atoms.

• They can be either a compound like table salt (NaCl) or a or “pure” substance like a diamond (C). Metals and metal alloys are also added here.

• Some examples of minerals are :• Quartz, Topaz, Mica, Hornblende

Properties of minerals

• Hardness: How hard a mineral is from a scale of 1-10, Diamonds being 10 - the hardest and Talc as a 1.• Real Diamonds can cut glass. It’s a way to tell if its

real or not.• Crystal structure: What shape the crystals

take: cubic, hexagonal, rhombohedral are some types.

Properties of minerals 2

• Luster: How “shiny” a mineral is.• Color: What its coloring looks like to the naked

eye• Streak: The color a mineral leaves behind on a

unglazed porcelain streak plate. The color doesn’t always match the mineral. Some minerals have similar or the same colors.

Properties of minerals 3

• Mass: How much matter is in the mineral.• Other Properties: • fluorescence, magnetism, radioactivity, • Piezoelectricity (when hit with say a hammer

it converts the energy to electricity)

What is a rock?

• Rocks are collections of minerals or other rocks.• Granite, Quartzite, Conglomerate, Mudstone, Basalt, Slate

• There are 3 types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary

• In the background you see granite the “specks” are the minerals in the rock.

Igneous rock “Born from Fire”

• Igneous rock is “born” from magma or lava cooling. How fast it cools determines how it is classified and whether its crystals are large or small. Gas bubbles can also form in this process.

• The crust of the planet is mainly either • Granite (Continental) or Basalt (Oceanic).

Igneous rock 2

• There are two types of crust, continental or land crust and Oceanic ocean crust.

• Rock in this category can be intrusive, made underground, or extrusive, made above ground or under water.

• Igneous rocks are grouped by how fast they cooled

Igneous rock 3

• The first 10 miles down Earths crust is about 95% Igneous rock and 5% Metamorphic/ Sedimentary.

• Any guesses why?• Examples: • (Intrusive) Granite, Diorite, Gabbro, Peridotite • (Extrusive) Basalt, Rhyolite, Andesite, Komatiite

Metamorphic rock“Change by Heat and Pressure”

• Metamorphic rock is formed from other rocks changing from extreme heat and pressure such as simply being at a extreme depth or exposed to magma.

• In the back ground you see Mississippian marble in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Wasatch Mountains, Utah.

Metamorphic rock 2

• Metamorphic rock also has what is known as foliation which creates bands of minerals

• What Rock becomes what? Here's some examples:

• Granite > Gneiss • Shale > Slate• Examples of metamorphic rock: Gneiss,

Slate, Marble, Schist, Quartzite.

Sedimentary rock “Layer by Layer Piece by Piece”

• Sedimentary rock is formed by bits and pieces of other rocks, mainly igneous and metamorphic.

• The pieces of rocks and other materials that make up this type are called sediments, like sand.

Sedimentary rock 2

• Fossils can be found in Sedimentary rock: bones, imprints, shells., etc.• Fossils can only be found in this type of rock.• This also serves as a record of how life evolved .

• While Sedimentary rock covers a wide area it is believed to only be 8% of the total rock that is in the crust.

Sedimentary rock 3

• Marks on the rock can show the presence of water if it formed in or around the water. The background is an example of that.

• Examples: Conglomerates, Breccia, Sandstone, and Limestone

Why are rocks and minerals useful?

• Granite is a sturdy rock useful for construction.

• Marble is used for making statues and decorating buildings.

• Certain rocks are ores which contain metals and other material needed to build our machines, buildings, soaps, etc.