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CHAPTER 2

INTRODUCTION TO
MINERALOGY

INTRODUCTION TO MINERALOGY

LEARNING
OUTCOMES
(LO)

LO1 : The student should


understand the physical
properties of minerals

LO2 : The student should


understand the rock
forming mineral / silicate
structure

INTRODUCTION TO ROCK AND


MINERAL

What is mineral????
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid
that possesses a definite chemical structure that gives it a
unique set of physical properties

What is the different between rock and mineral?


Rocks are collection of one or more minerals.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN


ROCK AND MINERALS

WHY WE NEED TO KNOW A MINERAL IN


ROCKS?
In order to understand how rocks vary in composition and properties,
it is necessary to know the varieties of minerals that commonly
occur in them and to identify a rock, it is necessary to
know which minerals are present in it.

The atmosphere supports life because animals need oxygen,


and plants need both carbon dioxide and oxygen.

An atom is the smallest particle of matter that still retains the


characteristics of an element. Each atom has a nucleus, which contains
protons (+ve) and neutrons (neutral). Orbiting the nucleus of an atom are
The number of protons in an atoms nucleus determines its atomic
number and the name of the element.
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BONDING AND COMPOUNDS


Atoms combined with each other to form compounds. Atoms bond
together by either gaining, losing or sharing electrons with other atoms.

Ionic bonding One or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another
(Gaining and losing electrons). Ionic compounds consist of oppositely charged
ions assembled in a regular, crystalline structure that allows for the maximum
attraction of ions, given their sizes.

Covalent bonding Atoms sharing the electrons.

Shell model for common atom

Ionic Bonding to form the mineral Halite (NaCl)

Covalent Bonding

TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY
MINERALS

The study of a Hand Specimen


of the mineral or rock in
which it occurs

Chemical analysis Atomic


absorption stimulation (AAS)

The examination of a thin slice of


mineral, grind down to a thickness
of 0.03mm using a Microscope

X-Ray diffraction Use X-RD


machine

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2.1 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS


COLOR

TRANSPARENCY

CLEAVAGE AND
FRACTURE

STREAK

LUSTRE

CRYSTAL HABIT
(FORM)

HARDNESS

REACTION WITH
ACID

Since mineral has a definite chemical composition and


internal crystalline structure, all specimens of a
given mineral, have the same physical and
chemical properties.

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COLOUR
The colour of a mineral is one of its most
obvious attributes, and is one of the properties that
is always given in any description.
Colour results from a minerals chemical composition,
impurities that may be present, and flaws or damage
in the internal structure.

Some minerals display a rainbow of colours (shown by the


mineral fluorite (CaF2) ) and some quartz display range of colours
from colourless crystals to purple, red, white, grey and jet black.
The colour of minerals can be referred using colour
chart for rocks.

Beryl - colourless

Quartz purple
Amethyst

Sulphur - yellow

Fluorite - blue

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COLOUR VARIATION IN
MINERALS

Feldspar can be green, pink white, gray, etc

LUSTRE
Is the appearance of a mineral surface
in reflected light.
This can be described by the degree of
brightness such as:

Pyrite - metallic

Metallic the light is reflected by the


mineral such as pyrite or galena.
Vitreous like broken glass such as
quartz.

Sulphur - resinous

Resinous greasy shine like resin


such as opal.
Silky silky shine in fibrous minerals
such as asbestos and gypsum.

Malachite - silky

Dull no lustre visible such as chalk


and kaolinite.
Kaolinite dull

STREAK
The streak of a mineral is the colour of its powder.
The colour is entirely different from their powder.
Crushing and powdering a mineral eliminates some
of the effects of impurities and structural flaws
Streak can be determined for any mineral by crushing it with a

hammer but it is more commonly (and less destructively) obtained by


rubbing the mineral across the surface of a hard, unglazed porcelain

material called a streak plate.

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HARDNESS
Hardness or resistance to abrasion is
a standard scale of ten minerals, known as the
Mohs Scale of Hardness.

Hardness is tested by attempting to scratch


of the scale with the specimen under examination.

The hardness of a mineral is controlled by the


strength of bonds between atoms and is measured by
the ease or difficulty with which it can be scratched.

TRANSPARENCY
Transparency is the degree to which a mineral allows light to pass through it.
Transparency is described as:
Opaque light is prevented from
passing through the mineral and
nothing can be seen through it.
Examples are orthoclase, magnetite
And hornblende.
Transparent - Minerals which allow
light to pass through fully and objects
on the other side are seen clearly
through the mineral. Examples are
colourless quartz and calcite.
Semi-transparent Minerals which
allow light to pass partially and objects
are seen hazy through the mineral.
Examples are slightly milky white
varieties of quartz and calcite.
Translucent minerals which allow only
some diffused light to pass through.
Examples are milky white varieties of
quartz and calcite.

Orthoclase - opaque

Gypsum - transparent

Quartz semi-transparent

Tanzanite - translucent

CRYSTAL FORM
The crystal faces reflect the internal symmetry of the crystal
structure that makes the mineral unique.

Crystal structures consist of definite arrangements of the


atoms of the elements that make up the minerals.

In contrast to chemical molecules, which have defined sizes,


crystal structures have no size limits although a crystal structure
does have a basic building unit called a unit cell.

Minerals with a crystal lattice are called crystalline,


those without a crystal structure are amorphous.

Crystal Systems
with examples

REACTION WITH ACID

When dilute hydrochloric acid (typically 10 %) is dripped


onto some minerals, notably the carbonates, a reaction takes place.

Calcite produces bubbles of carbon dioxide when reaction


takes place while in some iron sulphide ores, hydrogen
sulphide is produced

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CALCITE REACTING WITH


ACID

CLEAVAGE AND FRACTURE


Cleavage refers to the splitting of a mineral along smooth,
flat surfaces and it is related to the types of
bonds in the internal structure of the mineral.

Minerals that do not break along cleavage planes,


tend to fracture, or break, unevenly into curved or irregular pieces.

Types of fractures are based on their appearance:

uneven or irregular.

splintery or fibrous.

curved or conchoidal.

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UNEVEN

CONCHOIDAL

FIBROUS
Figure shows the
cleavage in one, two,
three, four and six
directions of minerals.

CALCITE CLEAVAGE

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