simple overview of our 2nd lesson: Minerals

Our second lesson on earth science is about minerals and rocks.


In our lesson, it is said that minerals are naturally occurring, is a solid substance, it is in an orderly crystalline structure, it has a definite chemical composition, and is generally considered organic. The ways on how minerals are formed are through the crystallization of magma, precipitation, through pressure and temperature, and through hydro thermal solutions. 


We also discussed about the different mineral groups which consist of Silicates, Carbonates, Oxides, Sulfates and Sulfides, Halides, and Native Elements. 


Silicates - Silicon and oxygen combine to form a structure called the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron. This silicon-oxygen tetrahedron provides the framework of every silicate mineral


Carbonates - Minerals that contain the elements carbon, oxygen, and one or more other metallic elements


Oxides - Minerals that contain oxygen and one or more other elements, which are usually metals


Sulfates and Sulfides - Minerals that contain the element sulfur.


Halides - Minerals that contain a halogen ion plus one or more other elements. 


Native Elements - Minerals that exist in relatively pure form.




Here are the properties of Minerals


Color - small amounts of different elements can give the same mineral different colors.


Streak - is the color of minerals in its powdered form. The color of the mineral in its solid form doesn't always translate the same color when it is in its powdered form.


Luster - is used to describe how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral.


Crystal Form - is the visible expression of a mineral's internal arrangement of atoms.


Hardness - is a measure of the resistance of a mineral  to being scratched.


Mohs Scale - Consists of 10 minerals arranged from 10 - 1. 1 being the softest.


Cleavage - is the tendency of a mineral to cleave, or break, along flat, even surfaces. 


Fracture - minerals that do not show cleavage when broken are said to fracture. Fracture is the uneven breakage of a mineral.


Density - is a property of all matter that is the ratio of an object's mass to its volume










the topics that are written in this page were checked by my professor, Mr. Crisencio Paner. Learn more about him.