What is the difference between

Minerals and Rocks?

 ROCKS are naturally-occurring aggregate or
combination of minerals and mineraloids, such as
fossils and glass. It is also considered as the building
blocks of the Earth’s Lithosphere.

 MINERALS are the building blocks of rocks.

Minerals
 Composed of elements such as those found in the
periodic table.
 Each mineral is unique but they generally exhibit
the following characteristics:
- they are naturally-occurring chemical compound
- the are inorganic
- they are homogeneous solids
- has definite chemical composition
- each structure arranges atoms in crystalline
pattern
Periodic table 
Do you consider water a mineral?
 NO. It is not solid and crystalline.
 How about snowflake, or tube ice?
Are these minerals?
 Tube ice is not a mineral because it is not
naturally occurring.

 Snowflake possesses all the properties under the

definition of a mineral.
 LUSTER
 It is the quality or intensity of reflected light
exhibited by a mineral.

a. Metallic – generally opaque and exhibit a

resplendent shine similar to polished metal.
b. Non-metallic – vitreous (glassy), adamantine
(brilliant/ diamond-like), resinous, silky, pearly,
dull (earthy), greasy, among others.
 How many types of nonmetallic luster are there?

 Vitreous: The luster of glass

 Resinous: The luster of resin.
 Pearly: The luster of pearls.
 Greasy: Looks like it is covered in a thin layer of oil.
 Silky: The luster of silk.
 Adamantine: A hard, brilliant luster.
 HARDNESS
 It is a measure of the resistance of a mineral (not
specifically the surface) to abrasion.

 The Mohs Scale of hardness measures the

scratch resistance of various minerals from a scale
of 1 to 10, based on the ability of a harder
material/mineral to scratch a softer one.
 The Pros of the Mohs Scale
I. The test is easy.
II. The test can be done anywhere, anytime as long
as long as there is sufficient light to see the
scratches.
III. The test is convenient for field geologists with
scratch kits who want to make a rough
identification of minerals outside the lab.
 The Cons of the Mohs Scale
I. The scale is qualitative, not quantitative.
II. The test cannot be used to accurately test the
hardness of industrial material.
Picture sa mohs
 CRYSTAL FORM/HABIT
 the external shape of a crystal or group of crystals
is displayed/observed as these crystals grow in
open spaces.
 The form reflects the supposedly internal
structure (of atoms and ions) of the crystal
(mineral).
 It is the natural shape of the mineral before the
development of any cleavage or fracture.
 The mineral that do not have a crystal structure is
described as amorphous.
 COLOR
 Individual minerals can display a variety of colors
resulting from impurities and also from some geologic
processes.

 Some minerals show different colors along different

crystallographic axes. This is known as pleochroism.

 Example of coloring: quartz can be pink (rose quartz),

purple (amethyst), orange (citrine), white (colorless
quartz) etc.
 How useful is color in identifying minerals?

The color of a mineral is the first thing most people

notice, but it can also be the least useful in
identifying a mineral.
Most minerals occur in more than one color. Fluorite
can be clear, white, yellow, blue, purple, or green. The
other properties, such as hardness, cleavage, and
luster, must be used instead.
 STREAK
 It is the mineral’s color in powdered form. It is
inherent in almost every mineral, and is more
diagnostic property compared to color.

 NOTE. The color of a mineral can be different from

its streak.

 Example: pyrite (FeS2) exhibits gold color but has

a black or dark gray streak.
 How useful is streak in identifying minerals?

Streak can be useful for identifying metallic and earthy

minerals.
Nonmetallic minerals usually give a white streak
because they are very light-colored. Other minerals
may have very distinctive streaks. Hematite, for
example, always gives a reddish-brown streak no
matter what type of luster it displays.
 CLEAVAGE
 The property of some minerals to break along
specific planes of weakness to form smooth, flat
surfaces
 How is cleavage described?

Minerals that have "perfect" cleavage almost always

break in a preferred direction.

Minerals that have "good" cleavage will sometimes

break in a particular direction, and other times, they
may not.
 These plains exist because the bonding of atoms
making up the mineral happens to be weak in
those areas.
 When minerals break evenly in more than one
direction , cleavage is described by the number of
cleavage directions, the angles at which they meet
and the quality of cleavage .
 Cleavage is different from habit.

 Crystal habit is forms as the mineral is growing,

relying on how the individual atoms in the crystal
come together.

 Cleavage is the weak plane that developed after

the crystal is formed.
 SPECIFIC GRAVITY
 The ratio of the density of the mineral and the
density of water.

 The parameter indicates how many times more the

mineral weighs compared to an equal amount of
water.

 For example, a bucket of silver would weigh ten

times more than a bucket of water.
 How is specific gravity measured?

The steps in measuring the specific gravity are:

 Weigh the mineral in air (Wa).

 Weigh the mineral in water (Ww).

Use the following equation:

Wa / ( Wa - Ww )
 OTHERS
 Magnetism, odor, taste, tenacity, reaction to acid,
etc.
Image sa salt
 Mineral Name Halite (table salt)
Chemical Composition NaCl
Luster Non-metallic – vitreous;
transparent to transluscent
Hardness Soft (2-2.5)
Color White
Streak White
Crystal Form/Habit Cubic
Cleavage Perfect Cubic
Specific Gravity Light (2.2)
Other Properties Salty taste; very soluble; produces
reddish sparks in flame
 Key Concepts

 Properties that help geologists identify a mineral in a

rock are: color, hardness, luster, crystal forms, density,
and cleavage.

 Crystal form, cleavage, and hardness are determined

primarily by the crystal structure at the atomic level.
 Color and density are determined primarily by the
chemical composition.

 Minerals are classified on the basis of their chemical

composition.
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
 Formed through the cooling of magma or lava.
 The term “igneous” is based from the Latin ignis,
which means fire.
How do magma or lava may be solidified?
1. Below the surface: from a slow-cooling magma;
rocks formed have good crystallization (coarse-
grained); may become plutonic rocks or intrusive
igneous, such as granite, diorite and syenite.
2. On the surface: from fast-cooling lava; rocks
formed have no visible crystals (fine-grained)
may become volcanic rocks or extrusive igneous,
such as basalt and andesite.
3. On the surface: from the consolidation of
particles erupted by explosive volcanic activity;
may become pyroclastic rocks such as ignimbrite,
scoria, and pumice.
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
 Accumulate in the Earth’s surface in a process
called deposition.
 The materials are combination of the products of
weathering and erosion, and other organic
materials.
 Lithification is the process by which the
unconsolidated materials becomes solidified.
 What is the difference between
weathering and erosion?
 Weathering is the chemical and mechanical
breakdown of rocks.

 Erosion is the process that get the weathered

material moving.
Lithification
 Sediment type
1. Clastic sediments are derived from the physical
deposition of particles produced by weathering
and erosion of preexisting rock.

2. Chemical and biochemical sediments are

precipitated from solution.
Clastic Sediments
Chemical and Biochemical Sediments
Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
 Formed from the exposure of sedimentary or
igneous rocks to high pressure, high temperature,
or both, deep within the Earth’s surface.
 Affect the mineralogy and texture of the rocks.
 Protolith is referred to as the original rock which
can either be igneous rock, sedimentary rock, or a
metamorphose .
Granite
Gneiss