• Separate/Group the minerals by properties:

Use minerals #1 - #39– Sort into 3 or 4 piles by similar characteristics– How are they alike? – How did you decide to sort them?

Minerals and You

– “Mining Minerals Matters in Your Everyday Life” (5 min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxtiPEO0GLc

– Modern Mining and You (first 15 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiN5aVvRLRk

Minerals are composed of Elements

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D05ej8u-gU Most Astounding Fact Neil DeGrass Tyson

Which Elements Make up the Earth’s crust?What are the top 8

#1 Oxygen#2 Silicon#3 Aluminum#4 Iron#5 Calcium#6 Sodium#7 Potassium#8 Magnesium

Common minerals

Some minerals are made from 1 element like:

There are over 4000 minerals, but only about a 20+ are common in the Earth’s crust and make-up all the rocks

But most minerals are …Compounds

Salt (NaCl) Calcite (CaCO3) Quartz (sand) (SiO2)

sulfur, copper, gold, iron , silver, carbon

Mineral or Not???

1. Ruby

2. Mercury

3. Concrete

4. Salt

5. Cubic zirconia

6. Sugar

7. Ice

8. Pearl

YES

NO, liquid

No, man-made

YES NO, synthetic

NO, organic

YES

Metalloid, no crystalline structure

How many different colors are in granite?

A solid mass of one or more minerals

mixed together in varying quantities.

The ROCK Granite

Find minerals # 6 #7 #26,

Take #44 out of the box

So, a rock by definition is…

Except…..

• Limestone rock (#58) is made

of only ONE mineral: calcite (#3)

• Obsidian (#51), which is glass made of only

ONE mineral – quartz (#7)

• Coal, which is organic matter.

Mineral Identification Lab

Purpose: • To construct methods to qualitatively and

quantitatively analyze characteristics• Identify the minerals • Group them by similar physical and

chemical characteristics • Research their use as Earth’s resources

Earth Science, 11e

Bellringer: Describe how the different spheres are interdependent on each

other.

Minerals: • are in EVERY manufactured product• Are essential to good health (vitamins)• are an important part of Earth’s processes

What is the first question the game asks?????

Is it an….. animal, vegetable, or a mineral?

Mineral Box Scavenger Hunt Which mineral… 1. Looks like glass ____

2. Smells like rotten eggs ____

3. Flecks of gold ____

4. Is magnetic ____

5. Is soft like powder ____

6. Can write like a pencil ____

7. Tastes salty ____

8. Is heavy like lead _____

9. Dried blood-red color ____

10. Peels into thin sheets ____

#7 quartz#31 sulfur#22 pyrite#13 magnetite#1 talc

graphite#18 halite#11 galena

hematite#23/24 mica

Analyze characteristicsDay 1

• Group discussion:– Observe minerals #1-39 in the boxes– Sort into 3 or 4 groups by similarities– Describe characteristics of the sorted groups.– Whiteboard your groups (be sure to include

your objective, data tables, drawings and conclusion)

Earth Science, 11e

Bellringer: What characteristics distinguish

minerals?

To construct methods to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze characteristics

Day 2

• Each table group will choose a different characteristic.

• Define the characteristic• Describe the characteristic qualitatively

(words)• Determine if and how it could be quantitatively

measured.– Construct a scale to measure it

Minerals: the building blocks of rocks pgs. 96-97

What are the 5 characteristics that make a mineral a mineral? All are:

• Natural (found in nature)

• have a definite Chemical composition (chemical formula)

• have an orderly internal structure of atoms and crystals

• Solid

•Inorganic (never were living)

Mineraloid - lacks an orderly internal structure

Identify the MineralsDay 3

• Groups explain the scale, rank, grouping of the characteristic on your white board: Use the data table of minerals and their qualitative and quantitative characteristics, identify the minerals by matching their characteristics to a table of known minerals

• (ESS text pg. 700-701)

MineralSpecimen Number

Color

Luster

Light

interaction

Streakcolor

Hardnessnumber

Cleavage

Or Fracture

Soluble in water

Solubility

in acid

Other Properties:

Magnetism,Fluorescence

Mineral namepage 700- 701

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8