Land and its Resources

6.1 Minerals in the Earths Crust

1. Minerals are the chemical substances that make up the rocks of the Earths crust. 2. A mineral is any solid element or compound that is found naturally in the earths crust.

3. Minerals make up the bulk of the materials in the Earths crust.

6.1 Minerals in the Earths Crust

4. Minerals have been used by man as gemstones, for example diamond and jade, and ores for metals, for example tin ore, for over thousands of years. 5. Each mineral has a definite structures and composition.

(a) Minerals are crystalline substances.

(b) The size of the crystals depends on the conditions in which the minerals was formed. (c) The shape of the crystals varies. Some crystals are long, thin and needle-like. (d) Minerals exist in the form of natural elements or natural compounds.

6.1 Minerals in the Earths Crust

6. Only small amount if minerals exist in the Earths crust as natural elements.

7. Examples of natural elements are gold, silver and platinum.

8. Most of the minerals exist in the form of natural compounds such as oxides, sulphides, carbonates and silicates.

6.1 Minerals in the Earths Crust

Main content Type of mineral Gold Silver Platinum Diamond Bauxite Haematite Quartz, sand Pyrite Cassiterite Malachite Calcite, marble, limestone Galena

Natural element
Gold Silver Platinum Carbon -

Natural Content
Aluminium oxide Iron oxide Silicon dioxide Iron sulphide Tin oxide Copper carbonate Calcium carbonate Lead sulphide

China clay

Aluminium silicate

6.1 Minerals in the Earths Crust

9. Although there are about 3000 types of minerals in the Earths crust, only 25 types are present in large quantities. Two examples of such minerals are iron pyrite and quartz.

Iron phyrite consists mainly of iron and sulphur.The classic "Fool's Gold. The most often mineral, mistaken for real

Quartz crystals are silica made from silicon and oxygen

Identifying the Elements in Natural Compounds

1.Generally, minerals which exist as natural compounds are made up of metallic elements which combine with non-metallic elements.
Elements in Minerals Found as Natural Compounds
Natural Compound Oxide Mineral Haematite Cassiterite Bauxite Calcite Carbonate Sulphide Malachite Iron pyrite Galena China clay Calcium silicate Silicate Feldspar Elements Iron, Oxygen Tin, Oxygen Aluminium, oxygen Calcium, carbon, oxygen Copper, carbon, oxygen Iron, sulphur Lead, sulphur Aluminium, silicon, oxygen Calcium, silicon, oxygen Potassium, aluminium, silicon, oxygen

Properties of Minerals
1. Each minerals has its own properties. 2. Different compositions of minerals generally possess the following properties: (a) Hardness

(b) Solubility in water

(c) Effect of heat 3. Hardness of minerals (a) Generally, minerals are hard. (b) The harder minerals can scratch the softer ones. For example, diamond pencils not only scratch glass but can be used to cut glass.

Diamond pencil

Properties of Minerals
(c) All minerals oxides, sulphides and carbonates are hard but the hardest mineral is the diamond.

(d) The hardness of minerals can be measured using Mohs scale. For example, quartz is hard (7 in Mohs scale) Mohs Scale of Hardness Hardness scale
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Will scratch glass

Quick test

Examples
Diamond Corundum Topaz Quartz Feldspar

Is scratched by a steel knife

Will powder if scratched with a coin Can be scratched with a fingernail -

Apatite Fluorite Calcite Gypsum Talc

Properties of Minerals
4. Solubility of minerals in water (a) Most minerals are insoluble in water. (b) Only oxides, sulphides and carbonates of potassium and sodium are soluble in water. (c) All the other compounds of oxides, sulphides and carbonates are insoluble.

Properties of Minerals
5. Action of heat on minerals
(a) It is possible to identify a mineral by studying the effects of heat on certain mineral compounds.

(b) Most metal oxides EXCEPT the less reactive mercuric oxide (cinnabar) are stable at high temperatures. They do not break down when heated.
(c) When heated, cinnabar or mercuric oxide, turns into mercury and releases oxygen.

Properties of Minerals
5. Action of heat on minerals (d)

When heated, sulphides break down to metal oxides and sulphur dioxide is released. This gas has an irritating smell.
Sulphur dioxide bleaches a solution of acidified potassium manganate (VII) solution. In the presence of sulphur dioxide, potassium manganate (VII) which is purple in colour turns colourless.

Properties of Minerals
5. Action of heat on minerals (e) When carbonates are heated, they break down to metal oxides and carbon dioxide is released. The carbon dioxide produces turns limewater cloudy.

Metal carbonate heat metal oxide + carbon dioxide

Calcium carbonate heat calcium oxide + carbon dioxide