1Geol 3200

Chap 1: Elements & Minerals

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Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Minerals are composed of bonded
atoms.
Earth (mostly solid; composed of rocks) Rocks (aggregate of minerals)
Minerals (atoms)
Earth, rocks mineral sample and atoms have different scales ranging from
Kms to nm
Rock mineral elements / Granite quartz + feldspar + biotite SiO
Mineral: chemical compounds that are normally crystalline & form naturally
by geological processes. All minerals are:
Naturally occurring
Crystalline solid
Well defined in chemical composition
Inorganic
Water is not a mineral. Natural Ice is a mineral ( not the ice made in
refrigerators )
Fossil fuels, coal and oil are not minerals because they are organic
Elements are the building blocks of minerals and all matter
Atoms: nucleus= P+N, orbited by e- and held together by nuclear Force
Isotopes have same P # but different # of N for the same element. Eg:
carbon-12,13,14
The Bohr Model: electrons orbit the nucleus and electrostatic forces of
attraction hold them together. The energy of the orbit is related to its size.
Electron shell occupancy: energy level increases from innermost to
outermost.
Groups and periods in the periodic table are arranged to give the elements
distinguished characteristics. Eg: Alkali, Alkaline, Transition, Halogens and
Noble gases.
OIL RIG Oxidation is Loss, Reduction is Gain ( of electrons )
Silicon has 4 electrons in its valence shell. It can either give or lose 4
electrons. Pure silicon is very rare to find. Silicon is usually combined with
other elements. It composes 90% if earths crust. Silicon usually combines
with oxygen forming a tetrahedron. (SiO 4)4Bonding in minerals:
Ionic Bond: transfer of electrons. Eg: NaCl
Covalent Bond: Sharing of electrons. Eg: C 2
Metallic Bond: electron pooling. Eg: zinc
How it all fits together: atom/ion bonding molecules packing in order
unit cells repeating crystals mineral rock earth
Anionic Complexes: abundant elements and chemical formulas; minerals
could vary

Chap2: crystallization & classification of Minerals

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Amorphous: mineral like substance with a random atomic structure.

Crystal faces:
* Euhedral crystals: fully developed flat faces
* Anhedral crystals: no flat faces visible
Crystal growth initiates by bringing together and ordering constituent
elements
Factors affecting crystal growth:
* Temp: high temp facilitates higher growth rates. Crystals become larger and
better shaped
* Time: atoms need time to migrate towards the growing crystals
* Element availability
* Presence or absence of flux
Crystal growth processes:
1) Igneous Processes: minerals form from magma or lava
2) precipitate from aqueous solutions: water containing dissolved element
3) metamorphic and diagenetic processes: mineralogical or textural changes
in rocks
Minerals are composed of bonded elements; often categorized by the anionic
complex
Most minerals are solid solution: range in composition
Minerals are assigned to classes based on their anions or anionic complexes
Most common minerals: silicates, oxides, hydroxides, sulfides.
Subclasses are further divided into groups. Eg: silicates tetrahedral can be
single or double chain

Chapter 3
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Two ways of analyzing minerals: hand specimen and optical petrography

Mineral ID: Luster, color, streak, crystal shape, tenacity, fracture, cleavage,
hardness, density
Color is sometimes but not usually useful for distinguishing minerals
Streak: key diagnostic property of oxides & sulfides, but not so much for
silicates
Shape:
* Form: group of crystal faces related by its symmetry with identical chemical
& physicsl props
* Habit: Overall shape of a crystal or aggregate of crystals
# Reflect internal arrangement of atoms in a crystal
# can be an important diagnostic property
# useful for well developed crystals

Reliable props for mineral ID: Tenacity, fracture, cleavage, hardness

because theyre not substantially affected by chemical impurities or defects
in the crystal structure

Chapter6
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Magma & Igneous Rocks:

*magma is lower in density than upper mantle and crust therefore its buoyant
and flows
* rising magma and rate of cooling determines the rock type and texture
2 types of igneous rocks:
* intrusive: solidifies and crystallizes underground
*extrusive: solidifies at surface
Intrusive ig rocks cools very slowly developing larger grain size. Eg: granite,
gabbro
Extrusive ig rock cools rapidly having fine grains. Eg: rhyolite, basalt
sometimes magma cools very fast that no crystals form glass
Textures: classified based on grain size aphanitic (fine) or phaneritic
(course)
Ig rocks could be mafic ( iron rich, silica poor) or felsic ( silica rich )
Mineral modes: relative amounts by volume of key minerals present in a rock.
Different minerals melt at different temperatures. Whenever temp falls they
dont stay stable
Bowens reaction series: rocks of different composition have different melting
temps
SiO2 poor minerals crystallize at higher temps than SiO2 rich minerals
Mafic Ig Rocks form at higher temp than felsic ig rocks.

Chapter 7
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Sedimentary rocks: thin blanket on old ig and meta basement rocks

* covers 80% of land surface but only 1% by volume
* records earths climate history
*host valuable fossil fuels
*formed from loose sediments that are deposited over time
Processes that form sedi rocks:
1) weathering: physical and chemical
2) transportation
3) deposition
3) lithification
4) Diagenesis
Sedimentary minerals:
*Clay
*Carbonate (calcite & dolomite)
*sulfate minerals (anhydrite & gypsum)
* Halide
*chert
Common sedimentary rocks: #Clastic #Chemical # Biochemical #Organic

Clastic sedimentary rocks: fragmented material formed by physical and

chemical weathering of rocks.
texture: size, sorting and roundness of clastic particles
Grain Size: the longest diameter of fragments
sorting: degree of uniformity
angularity: roundness
sphericity: degree to which a clast nears a sphere

Classification primary based on clastic texture

Breccia (angular), Conglomerate (well rounded), Sandstone

Sandstone classification based on: 1) the relative abundance of matrix

2) the composition of sand framework
grains

Fine clastics: siltstone, shale or mudstone.

Rock characteristic provide info about source area and depositional env.

Chemical sedi rocks: evaporates

Biochemical sedi rocks: limestone, chert

Organic rocks: made from organic carbon

Chapter 9
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Terrestrial environments
* Desert: continental environments characterized by low rain, high
evaporation, temporate lakes, low veigtation, sand dominant; coarsening
upwards.
* Alluvial fans: very coarse material and close to source, poorly sorted &
coarsens upwards.
*river: the primary means of transporting sediments across continents.
gradient, velocity, discharge and flow stage
* Meandering River: low gradient, point bars and oxbow lakes, upward fining
sequence.
Marginal marine:
*Deltas: depositional body of sand forming where a river meets the sea.
* Barrier Island (Lagoon system): Sandy barrier islands; well sorted sand.
Marine: 1) cont. shelf (organic reefs; carbonates) 2)cont. slope (turbidity
deposits)
Deep sea: pelagic sediments: fine grained clay size sediments accumulating
slowly through settling