Mineral Questions

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• naturally occurring
• inorganic
What are the 5 basic char- • solid
acteristics of all minerals? • crystal structure
• definite chemical compo-
sition
• no, coal is not a mineral
• because it is formed
Is coal a mineral? Why or from plant material that
why not? has been buried deep be-
low the surface (it's not in-
organic)
• because the mineral's
particles line up in a pat-
tern that repeats over &
over again; the outcome
Why do minerals have
of this is the formation of
crystal forms? Will they al-
flat sides, faces, that form
ways form crystals?
angular edges and sharp
points when they meet
• minerals do not ALWAYS
form nice crystals
Name a few minerals that • copper (Cu)
are composed of a single • gold (Au)
element. • silver (Ag)
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 Mineral Questions
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• same color:
o azurite - always blue
o galena - always sil-
Name a few minerals that
ver-grey
are always the same color;
o malachite - always
name minerals that can be
green
different colors.
• different colors:
o quartz
o fluorite
• luster - describes how the
surface of a mineral looks
when light is reflected off
of its surface
• quartz - usually glassy
• calcite - glassy &
submetallic
Define luster and name
• halite - glassy
minerals that have metal-
• fluorite - glassy
lic, submetallic, pearly,
• gypsum - glassy &
pearly
• talc - pearly
• kaolinite- submetallic
& earthy
• sulfur - resinous
• graphite - metallic &
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 Mineral Questions
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shiny
• galena - usually shiny or
metallic
• hematite - metallic or sub-
metallic
• pyrite - metallic
• sphalerite- submetallic
glassy (vitreous), earthy • magnetite - metallic or
and waxy lusters. submetallic
• biotite - pearly &
submetallic
• muscovite - glassy &
pearly
• orthoclase - glassy
• amethyst - glassy
• chalcopyrite - metallic
• 1. Talc
• 2. Gypsum
• 3. Calcite
• 4. Fluorite
KNOW Mohs hardness
• 5. Apatite
scale. Be able to use it to
• 6. Feldspar
identify minerals.
• 7. Quartz
• 8. Topaz
• 9. Corundum
• 10. Diamond
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 Mineral Questions
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Know the approximate

• fingernail- 2-2.5
hardness of the following:
• copper penny- 3-3.5
a fingernail, a copper pen-
• steel nail or knife- 5-5.5
ny, a steel nail or knife, and
• glass- 6-6.5
glass.
• 1. Cubic
• 2. Hexagonal
• 3. Tetragonal
• 4. Orthorhombic
• 5. Monoclinic
What are the six crystal
• 6. Triclinic
systems found in miner-
• cubic system-
als? Give an example of
o halite
a mineral in the cubic,
o pyrite
hexagonal, and monoclin-
• hexagonal system-
ic systems.
o quartz
o amethyst
• monoclinic system-
o gypsum
o talc
• fluorescence - some min-
erals will glow in ultraviolet
light
• magnetism - magnetite
• reactivity - calcite reacts
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chemically to acids
List other special proper- • taste - halite is easy to
ties of minerals that can be find if you're willing
used for identification and to lick it
name a mineral in which • optical properties - a
that property is particularly good calcite crystal will
useful. bend light through it &
produce a double image
• minerals form as magma
or lava cool & harden to
become rock
Name two ways in which
• minerals "precipitate", or
minerals form on Earth.
crystallize, out of solution
in groundwater as well as
in oceans & lakes
• as magma rises towards
How does the rising of the earth's surface, it will
magma result in the forma- begin to cool & form sol-
tion of minerals and rocks? id minerals as part of ig-
neous rocks

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 Mineral Questions
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• slow cooling = large crys-

tals
• fast cooling = small crys-
tals; if any at all

• rock that might have large

What is the relationship crystals:
between cooling rate and o amethyst
crystal size? Name a rock o hematite
that might have large crys- • a rock that has small crys-
tals; name a rock that tals
has small crystals; name o calcite
a rock that has no crystal • name a rock that has no
formation at all and know crystal formation at all:
why it has no crystals. o obsidian
• obsidian has no crys-
tals because it comes
from lava which cools very
quickly on the Earth's sur-
face and has very, very
small crystals (if any at all)
Name at least two calci-
um carbonate precipitates ...
found in nature.

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 Mineral Questions
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How does evaporation

lead to the formation of
minerals? Name 3 min-
...
erals commonly formed
through the process of
evaporation.
Which is likely to have
a greater amount of dis-
solved mineral - hot or cold
...
water? How does rising
hot water lead to the for-
mation of mineral veins?
List some of the many
...
uses of minerals in society.
What is an ore? What is it
...
used for?
What is an alloy? ...

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