Minerals

These are naturally occurring inorganic solids with crystalline

structure, and chemical composition which may be fixed or vary within
certain limits. A mineral has one specific chemical composition, whereas
a rock can be an aggregate of different minerals or mineraloids. The
study of minerals is called mineralogy.
They are considered natural because they are formed by natural geological
process.
Minerals are the building blocks of rocks
Minerals undergo different geological processes and become
part of or develop into rocks, in which case they become known as “rock-
forming minerals ”.
Minerals Groups
Difference Between Minerals and
Rock
Minerals Rocks
Pure(made of one substance) More than one minerals
Some heavy crystals Not single crystals
Usually Pretty Not usually as pretty
Usually have a shape No definite shape
Color is usually the same Color is not the same
No fossils Some heavy fossils
 Physical Properties of Minerals
The Physical properties of minerals are used by Mineralogists to help determine
the identity of a specimen. Some of the tests can be performed easily in the field,
while others require laboratory equipment. For the beginning student of geology,
there are a number of simple tests that can be used with a good degree of accuracy.
The list of tests is in a suggested order, progressing from simple experimentation
and observation to more complicated either in procedure or concept.
Properties of Minerals
The following physical properties of minerals can be easily used to
identify a mineral:
1.Color
2.Streak
3.Hardness
4.Cleavage or Fracture
5.Crystalline Structure
6.Diaphaneity or Amount of Transparency
7.Tenacity
8.Magnetism
9.Luster
10.Odor
11.Taste
12.Specific Gravity
Color is often useful, but should not be relied upon. Different minerals may be the
same color. Real gold, as seen in figure 2, is very similar in color to the pyrite in
figure 1.
Additionally, Some minerals come in many different colors. Quartz, for example, may
be clear, white, gray, brown, yellow, pink, red, or orange. So color can help, but do not
rely on color as the determining property. Figure 3 shows one sample of quartz that is
colorless and another quartz that is purple. A tiny amount of iron makes the quartz
purple. Many minerals are colored by chemical impurities

Figure 1. This mineral has shiny,

gold, cubic crystals with striations, Figure 2. This mineral is shiny, very Figure 3. Purple quartz,
so it is pyrite. soft, heavy, and gold in color, and is known as amethyst, and
actually gold clear quartz are the same
mineral despite the
different colors
Streak is the color of a mineral’s powder. Streak is a more reliable property than
color because streak does not vary. Minerals that are the same color may have a
different colored streak. Many minerals, such as the quartz in the figure 3, do not
have streak.

To check streak, scrape the mineral across an unglazed porcelain plate (Figure 4).
Yellow-gold pyrite has a blackish streak, another indicator that pyrite is not gold,
which has a golden yellow streak.

Figure 5. The streak of hematite across an

unglazed porcelain plate is red-brown
Hardness is the strength with which a mineral resists its surface being scraped or
punctured. In working with hand samples without specialized tools, mineral hardness is
specified by the Mohs hardness scale. The Mohs hardness scale is based 10 reference
minerals, from talc the softest (Mohs hardness of 1), to diamond the hardest (Mohs
hardness of 10). It is a relative, or nonlinear, scale. A hardness of 2.5 simply means that
the mineral is harder than gypsum (Mohs hardness of 2) and softer than calcite (Mohs
hardness of 3). To compare the hardness of two minerals see which mineral scratches
the surface of the other.
With a Mohs scale, anyone can test an unknown mineral for its hardness. Imagine
you have an unknown mineral. You find that it can scratch fluorite or even feldspar,
but apatite scratches it. You know then that the mineral’s hardness is between 5 and
6. Note that no other mineral can scratch diamond
Cleavage and Fracture
Breaking a mineral breaks its chemical bonds. Since some bonds are weaker than other
bonds, each type of mineral is likely to break where the bonds between the atoms are
weaker. For that reason, minerals break apart in characteristic ways.

Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break along certain planes to make smooth
surfaces. Halite breaks between layers of sodium and chlorine to form cubes with
smooth surfaces (figure 6).

A mineral that naturally breaks into perfectly flat surfaces is exhibiting cleavage. Not
all minerals have cleavage. A cleavage represents a direction of weakness in the crystal
lattice. Cleavage surfaces can be distinguished by how they consistently reflect light,
as if polished, smooth, and even. The cleavage properties of a mineral are described in
terms of the number of cleavages and, if more than one cleavage, the angles between
the cleavages. The number of cleavages is the number or directions in which the
mineral cleaves. A mineral may exhibit 100 cleavage surfaces parallel to each other.
Those represent a single cleavage because the surfaces are all oriented in the same
diretion. The possible number of cleavages a mineral may have are 1,2,3,4, or 6. If
more than 1 cleavage is present, and a device for measuring angles is not available,
simply state whether the cleavages intersect at 90° or not 90°.
Figure 6. A close-up view of
sodium chloride in a water
Figure 7. Sheets of mica
bubble aboard the
International Space Station.

To see mineral cleavage, hold the mineral up beneath a strong light and move it
around, move it around some more, to see how the different sides reflect light. A
cleavage direction will show up as a smooth, shiny, evenly bright sheen of light
reflected by one set of parallel surfaces on the mineral.

Mica has cleavage in one direction and forms sheets (figure 7).
Fracture
Fracture is a break in a mineral that is not along a cleavage plane. Fracture is not always
the same in the same mineral because fracture is not determined by the structure of the
mineral.

Minerals may have characteristic fractures (figure 8). Metals usually fracture into
jagged edges. If a mineral splinters like wood, it may be fibrous. Some minerals, such as
quartz, form smooth curved surfaces when they fracture.

Figure 8. Chrysotile has splintery fracture.

Crystalline Structure

Mineral crystals occur in various shapes and

sizes. The particular shape is determined by the
arrangement of the atoms, molecules or ions
that make up the crystal and how they are
joined. This is called the crystal lattice. There
are degrees of crystalline structure, in which
the fibers of the crystal become increasingly
difficult or impossible to see with the naked
eye or the use of a hand lens. Microcrystalline
and cryptocrystalline structures can only be
viewed using high magnification. If there is no
crystalline structure, it is called amorphous.
However, there are very few amorphous
crystals and these are only observed under
extremely high magnification.
Transparency or Diaphaneity

Diaphaneity is a mineral’s degree of transparency or ability to allow light to pass through

it. The degree of transparency may also depend on the thickness of the mineral.

Magnetism

Magnetism is the characteristic that allows a mineral to attract or repel other magnetic
materials. It can be difficult to determine the differences between the various types of
magnetism, but it is worth knowing that there are distinctions made.
Luster
Luster describes the reflection of light off a mineral’s surface. Mineralogists have
special terms to describe luster. One simple way to classify luster is based on whether
the mineral is metallic or non-metallic. Minerals that are opaque and shiny, such as
pyrite, have a metallic luster. Minerals such as quartz have a non-metallic luster.

Luster is how the surface of a mineral reflects light. It is not the same thing as color,
so it crucial to distinguish luster from color. For example, a mineral described as
“shiny yellow” is being described in terms of luster (“shiny”) and color (“yellow”),
which are two different physical properties. Standard names for luster include
metallic, glassy, pearly, silky, greasy, and dull. It is often useful to first determine if a
mineral has a metallic luster. A metallic luster means shiny like polished metal. For
example cleaned polished pieces of chrome, steel, titanium, copper, and brass all
exhibit metallic luster as do many other minerals. Of the nonmetallic lusters, glassy is
the most common and means the surface of the mineral reflects light like glass. Pearly
luster is important in identifying the feldspars, which are the most common type of
mineral. Pearly luster refers to a subtle irridescence or color play in the reflected light,
same way pearls reflect light. Silky means relecting light with a silk-like sheen.
Greasy luster looks similar to the luster of solidified bacon grease. Minerals with dull
luster reflect very little light. Identifying luster takes a little practice. Remember to
distinguish luster from color.
Different types of non-metallic luster are described in following table

(a) Diamond has an adamantine luster. (b) Quartz is not sparkly and
has a vitreous, or glassy, luster. (c) Sulfur reflects less light than
quartz, so it has a resinous luster.
Odor

Most minerals have no odor unless they are acted upon in one of the following ways:
moistened, heated, breathed upon, or rubbed.

Taste

Only soluble minerals have a taste, but it is very important that minerals not be
placed in the mouth or on the tongue. You should not test for this property in the
classroom.

Specific Gravity

Specific Gravity of a mineral is a comparison or ratio of the weight of the mineral to

the weight of an equal amount of water. The weight of the equal amount of water is
found by finding the difference between the weight of the mineral in air and the
weight of the mineral in water.

Knowing the properties of minerals will help you to identify minerals in the field
Silicate Minerals
Silicate minerals all contain silicon and oxygen -- the two most abundant
elements in the Earth's crust. Silicates are by far the more abundant of the two
groups of minerals, comprising some 75 percent of all known minerals and 40
percent of the most common minerals. Virtually all igneous rocks are made
from silicate minerals; most metamorphic and many sedimentary rocks are
made from silicates as well. They can be subdivided into smaller groups on the
basis of their structure.
Structures of Silicate Minerals
Non-Silicates
Non-silicates are minerals that do not include the silicon-oxygen units
characteristic of silicates. They may contain oxygen, but not in combination with
silicon. Their structure tends to be more variable and less complex than that of the
silicates, although they too can be subdivided into different classes based on their
composition. Sulfates, for example, include the sulfate anion, SO4 with a minus 2
charge, while oxides include oxygen in partnership with a metal like aluminum.
Many of the non-silicates are economically important, especially those that
include valuable metals.
What is the Difference between mineral and mineraloid???
 Feldspar
Feldspar is the name given to a group of minerals distinguished by the presence
of alumina and silica (SiO2) in their chemistry. This group includes aluminum
silicates of soda, potassium, or lime. It is the single most abundant mineral group
on Earth. They account for an estimated 60% of exposed rocks, as well as soils,
clays, and other unconsolidated sediments, and are principal components in rock
classification schemes. The minerals included in this group are the orthoclase,
microcline and plagioclase feldspars.
Type Crystal System
Mineral triclinic, monoclinic

Mineral Classification Color

Silicate pink, white, gray, brown

Chemical Formula Luster

KAlSi3O8 – NaAlSi3O8 – Vitreous
CaAl2Si2O8 Fracture
conchoidal, uneven
Streak Mohs Hardness
White 6-6.5
Uses
Feldspar is used to make dinnerware and bathroom and building tiles. In ceramics
and glass production, feldspar is used as a flux. A flux is a material that lowers the
melting temperature of another material, in this case, glass.

Substitutes and Alternative Sources

Feldspar can be replaced by other minerals and mineral mixtures of similar

physical properties. Minerals that could be used to replace feldspar include
pyrophyllite, clays, talc, and feldspar-silica (quartz) mixtures. The abundance of
feldspar will make these substitutions unnecessary for the foreseeable future.
Difference Between Orthoclase and Plagioclase Feldspar