LC 9: Identify common rock-forming minerals using their physical and chemical properties 5.
5. Crystal form - refers to the growth crystal pattern of a mineral as single or aggregated
MINERAL- naturally occurring inorganic solid material that has a fixed structure definite
chemical composition
IDENTIFICATION OF MINERALS
- there are several laboratory and field techniques used to distinguish minerals based on
physical and chemical properties
- Some minerals can be identified with the use of high-powered instruments while some can
be assessed through their physical properties
Elements are chemically combined to form minerals.
Minerals are physically combined to form rocks.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
1. Luster- it is the quality and intensity of reflected light exhibited by the mineral
Metallic – generally opaque and exhibit a resplendent shine similar to a polished
metal
Non-metallic – vitreous (glassy), adamantine (brilliant/diamond-like), resinous,
silky, pearly, dull (earthy), greasy, etc.
2. Hardness
Hardness Scale designed by German geologist/mineralogist Friedrich Mohs in 1812
(Mohs Scale of Hardness)
The test compares the resistance of a mineral relative to the 10 reference minerals with
known hardness.
It is simply determining the hardness of a mineral by scratching them with common objects
of known hardness (e.g. copper coin -3.0-3.5).
3. Color - depends on the elements which constitute the crystal lattice
4. Streak - this is the color of the mineral when it is finely powdered rubbed across a piece of
tile, leaving a fine powder of the mineral on the tile
6. Cleavage- the tendency of the mineral to be split or broken along flat surfaces
7. Fracture - refers to the texture or shape of the mineral’s surface when the mineral
breaks into forms other than flat surfaces
8. Specific gravity- the ratio of the weight of the mineral to the weight of the water with an
equal volume
9. Tenacity- refers to the behavior of the mineral under deformation or stress such as
cutting, crushing, bending, or hitting
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
- all minerals have a certain arrangement of elements in their crystal structure
- they can be represented by a chemical formula, which represents the
proportions of atoms that constitute them
- Example
quartz – SiO2 (its crystal structure is a continuous framework of silicon-oxygen
tetrahedra
- depend on their chemical formula and crystal structure
- solubility and melting point are chemical properties commonly used to describe a
mineral
1. Solubility- the ability of a substance to dissolve in a solvent at a specified temperature
Ex. biotite – a mineral commonly found in igneous rocks, is soluble in both acid and
base solutions
2. Melting point - the temperature at which solid turns into liquid
3. Crystallographic techniques - performed to determine the crystal structure of the
mineral (Ex. X-ray diffraction)
COMMON ROCK-FORMING MINERALS
1. Quartz - has a chemical composition of SiO2
- a glassy-looking hard substance with white streaks
- despite its hardness with a Mohs hardness of 7
- it is quite brittle
- pure quartz is clear and transparent
- colored varieties of quartz are due to elemental impurities built into its lattice
2. Feldspar- has a chemical composition of XA1Si08 (K, Ca or Na)
- quite hard with a Mohs hardness of 6
- a light-colored material usually white
- it has a glassy luster
3. Pyrite- a sulfide mineral and is one of the most common of the minerals with metallic
luster
- it is also known as “fool’s gold”
- has a chemical composition of FeS2
4. Magnetite- has a chemical composition of Fe3O4
- an oxide mineral and is a common iron ore mineral
- it is usually black in color and has a black streak
- its luster is commonly metallic but may appear submetallic
5. Talc - has a chemical composition of Mg2Si4O10(OH)2
- a silicate mineral and is commonly found in metamorphic rocks
6. Mica- is any group of hydrous potassium aluminum silicate minerals
- Mohs hardness ranging from 2-2.5 (soft)
- Ex. are Muscovite - KAl2(Si3O10)(OH,F,Cl)2 and Biotite - K(Fe,Mg)3AlSi3O10(OH)2 1. Marble- a coarse-grained metamorphic rock with interlocking calcite crystals
7. Fluorite- a distinctive but relatively uncommon halide mineral -the calcite crystals were recrystallized from limestone during metamorphism
- it is most commonly associated with hydrothermal deposits
- has a chemical composition of CaF2 3. SEDIMENTARY ROCKS- formed by the compaction and cementation of sediments
- primary source for fluorine (lithification)
- it comes in a wide range of colors - clear, yellow, purple and green are common a. Clastic sedimentary rocks - made up of sediments from preexisting rocks
8. Calcite - when preexisting rocks are physically weathered and eroded, they form
- a common carbonate mineral, especially in sedimentary rocks sediments
- it is also associated with biological activity in the production of shells - when these sediments are transported, deposited and lithified, they form the
- has a chemical composition of CaCO3 clastic sedimentary rocks
- used to manufacture cement and as a calcium dietary - these rocks can be identified based on their grain sizes
b. Non-clastic sedimentary rocks - can be biological, chemical, or a
LC 10: Classify rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. combination of both
b.1. Biological sedimentary rocks - are lithified accumulation of of dead
organisms
CLASSIFICATION OF ROCKS ACCORDING TO HOW THEY ARE FORMED
- Exs. Coal (formed from carbon-rich plants
limestone (formed from the remains of calcareous organisms)
1. IGNEOUS ROCKS- formed by the cooling or solidification of magma or lava
EXAMPLES OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
a. Intrusive rocks - or plutonic rocks
1. Breccia- a coarse-grained rock with coarse, angular fragments
- formed underneath the earth
2. Sandstone- formed from sand grains in a matrix of very fine-grained silt, clay,
- coarse grained due to the slow cooling of magma allowing cyrstal growth
or other materials
- formed when magma cools deep within the Earth’s surface
- the grains in this sample are mostly the feldspar and quartz minerals
- cools very slowly as it is in contact with molten rock
3. Limestone- made of calcium carbonate that formed under water directly or
b.Extrusive rocks - or volcanic rocks
indirectly from the actions of plants and animals
- formed on the surface of the earth
- fine-grained formed indirectly from the remains of tiny marine organisms
- they are cooled lava which are molten rocks ejected on the surface through
volcanic eruptions
Chemical sediments- another name for dissolved rock material
- produces fine-grained igneous rocks
- the dissolved materials are ions from mineral and rocks that have been
- this rapid cooling does not allow time for crystals to form
completely broken down
EXAMPLES OF IGNEOUS ROCKS
- Removed from solution by:
1. Granite
* Chemical precipitation from the solution
- a coarse-grained igneous rock composed mostly of light-colored, light- density,
* Crystallization from evaporating water
nonferromagnesian minerals
* Biological sediments
- dominates the earth's continental areas
Compaction- As sediments are laid down grain by grain, the mass becomes greater.
2. Obsidian
- The increasing mass of the sediment layer above creates pressure on the layers
- has the same chemical composition as the granite
below.
- it does not have crystals and is a volcanic
- Eventually this pressure becomes great enough to compact the existing layers
into a cohesive rock layer.
2. METAMORPHIC ROCKS - formed by preexisting rocks that are exposed to extreme heat
Cementation- After, or during, the compaction process, the spaces between the
and pressure in the Earth’s interior (metamorphism)
sediment particles become filled with a chemical deposit.
- Rocks changed by heat, pressure, or hot solutions due to:
-This deposit holds the compacted layers into a cohesive mass of sedimentary
- movement of the Earth’s crust
rock.
- heat generated by intrusion of hot magma
- pressure can change rock by flattening, deforming, or realigning mineral grains
The Rock Cycle
Foliation- when the pressure on flat crystal flakes tends to align the flakes into
-rocks are continually being changed by Earth’s forces
parallel sheets
-describes the continually changing structure of rocks
- gives the rock the property of breaking along the planes between the aligned
-igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rock are just temporary stages in the
mineral grains in what is known as rock cleavage
continuing changes that all rocks undergo
EXAMPLES OF METAMORPHIC ROCKS