September 16, 2011

Bellringer:

Write a poem about a rock or mineral

Objectives and Agenda

Objective:

Determine how to identify a mineral by using physical characteristic tests

Agenda• Mineral video• Mineral Notes• Lab 8: Minerals

Minerals

What are minerals?

Naturally occurring, solid substances that are inorganic (not made from a living organism)

What are minerals made of?

• Some are made of pure elements ( gold, diamonds, graphite)

• Some have chemical formulas ( calcite CaCO3)

• Some are mixtures – no exact ratio ( feldspar, composed of

potassium, calcium, and or sodium)

Rock- Forming Minerals

• Minerals make up rocks

• Only a few minerals are found in most rocks.

• Most minerals are mostly composed of oxygen and silicon

Observable characteristics

• Color

• Luster– Metallic or non-metallic

• Crystal Structure

Testable characteristics

• Streak

• Hardness

• Cleavage and Fracture

Mineral Structure

basic unit is in the form of a tetrahedron, composed of four atoms of oxygen and one atom of silicon.

This unit can combine with itself or with other elements to form different minerals. These can be chains or sheets.

These different structures account for the differences in the physical properties of minerals.