Mineral-specific chemical weathering rates over millennial timescales
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that ... - NOTE... · Crystal Structure: •...
Transcript of A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that ... - NOTE... · Crystal Structure: •...
What is a mineral?• A mineral is a
naturally occurring,
inorganic solid that
has a crystal
structure and a
definite chemical
composition.
Let’s break down the five parts of the
definition.
Naturally Occurring:
• Formed by processes of the natural world
Naturally Occurring:
• Formed by processes of the natural world
• Not made by humans
Inorganic:
• Cannot be formed from materials that were once a part of a living thing.
• in- (HH3)
• Is coal a mineral?
Inorganic:
• Cannot be formed from materials that were once a part of a living thing.
• in - not
• Is coal a mineral?
• Coal is NOT a mineral because it is made from fossilized plants!
Solid:
• When a substance is a solid, its atoms or molecules are held in fixed positions and it has a constant shape.
• Examples
Crystal Structure:
• Particles of a mineral line up in a pattern that repeats over and over
• How a mineral breaks is known as cleavage and fracture.
• Cleavage describes how a mineral breaks into flat surfaces
(usually one, two, three or four surfaces). Cleavage is
determined by the crystal structure of the mineral.
• Fracture describes how a mineral breaks into forms or shapes other than flat surfaces.
Crystal Structure:
• Particles of a mineral line up in a pattern that repeats over and over
• How a mineral breaks is known as cleavage and fracture.
• Cleavage describes how a mineral breaks into flat surfaces
(usually one, two, three or four surfaces). Cleavage is
determined by the crystal structure of the mineral. Diamond
• Fracture describes how a mineral breaks into forms or shapes other than flat surfaces. Chert, Flint
Definite Chemical Composition:
• Always contains certain elements in definite proportions
Quartz
Definite Chemical Composition:
• Always contains certain elements in definite proportions
• This gives the mineral it’s color!
Quartz
• Is ice a
mineral?
Is it naturally occurring?
Is it inorganic?
Is it solid?
Image taken from http://www.chaseday.com/hailstones.htm
Does it have a crystal structure?
http://www.galleries.com/Minerals/OXIDES/ice/ice.htm
Does it have a definite chemical composition?
•H2O,
Hydrogen
Oxide
Is an ice cube a mineral?
• Only natural ice
counts as a mineral
such as snow, natural
lake or river ice,
glaciered ice and
permafrost.
http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/amber/go336/merhoff/index.htm
Is water a mineral?• Liquid water does not
get the same
consideration (as to
being a mineral) by
most mineralogists
because it lacks the
crystalline structure of
ice.