Minerals

The Building Blocks of the

Earth

What is The Difference Between

a “Rock” And a Mineral?

� Minerals are not rocks!

• They are composed of only one pure element.• Diamonds- Carbon

• Gold

• Platinum

• Silver

• etc

� Rocks are composed of two or more minerals.• These minerals form mixtures that we refer to as rocks.

What is a Mineral?

� A naturally formed, inorganic solid with a

definite crystal structure.

• Cannot be man-made.

• Must be solid, no liquids or gasses!

• Must have a crystalline structure, which varies depending upon the mineral.

How Do We Determine Minerals?

� Four questions must be answered.

• A material must meet all 4 criteria to be a

mineral.

• If you can’t answer “yes” to all 4, then it is not a mineral.

It Must be a Solid

� To be a mineral, it must be solid.

• Mercury, crude oil, and liquid water are not

minerals.

It Must Be Non-Living

� It must never have been alive.

• Coal is not a mineral.

� Don’t confuse “non-living” with “once

living”.

• Once living means it was once alive, but now dead.

• Non-living means it was never alive.

Must Have a Crystalline

Structure

� Made up of crystals that have a

repeating structure.

� All minerals have a crystalline form.

� Crystals form because the minerals are

pure, or nearly pure elements.

It Must be Formed in Nature

� Cannot be man-made.

� Lab created gemstones are not

minerals.

Atoms and Compounds

� Each element is made up of only one kind of atom.

� An atom is the smallest particle of an element that still has the properties of that element.

� Gold, silver, and platinum.

� Compounds are 2 or more elements chemically combined.

� Halite (NaCl) is a compound.

Two Groups of Minerals

� Silicates

• Composed of silicon and oxygen.

• Make up 90% of the

Earth’ crust.

� Nonsilicate minerals

• Do not contain silicon and oxygen.

• 6 classes of

nonsilicate minerals.

Silicate Minerals

� Composed of silicon, oxygen, and other

trace elements

� Examples include:

• Quartz

• Feldspar

• Mica

Nonsilicate Minerals

� Four groups

• Native Elements

• Carbonates

• Halides

• Oxides

• Sulfates

• Sulfides