WHAT IS MINERAL?

MINERAL
Rocks are composed of minerals.
A mineral is a naturally occurring substance which is
usually solid, crystalline, stable at room temperature and
inorganic.
Minerals are made up of one or a number of chemical
elements with a definite chemical composition.
Minerals cannot be broken down into smaller units with
different chemical compositions in the way that rocks can.
 PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

PHYSICAL CHEMICAL
PROPERTIES PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

CRYSTAL FORM/
LUSTER HARDNESS COLOR
HABIT

OTHERS SPECIFIC
CLEAVAGE STREAK
(MOTTR) GRAVITY
 LUSTER
Refers to
how
light is
reflected NON-METALLIC
from the METALLIC • Vitreous(glassy,
 Generally opaque and exit a
surface resplendent shine similar to a adamantine (brilliant/
polished metal. diamond-like).
of a  Minerals exhibiting metallic
Resinous, silky, pearly,
luster look like metal, such as
mineral. a silvery appearance or that dull (earthy) greasy
of a flat piece of steel. among others.
 HARDNESS
It is theability of mineral to resist scratching.
Friedrich Mohs – German Minerologist, developed a
hardness scale over 100 years ago. The hardest
Mineral known as “DIAMOND” was assigned the
number 10.
It is called the Mohs Hardness Scale. It ranks the
order of hardness of minerals and some common
objects.
 CRYSTAL FORM/ HABIT
Refers to the characteristic shape of a mineral unit
(either an individual crystal or group of crystal.
The form reflects the supposedly internl 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.
A mineral that do not have a crystal structure is
described as “AMORPHOUS”.
 COLOR
One of the most obvious characteristic of a mineral,
but generally not the most useful diagnostic feature.
Minerals are colored because certain wave lengths of
light are absorbed, and the color results from
combinations of those wave lengths that reach the
eye.
 STREAK
Refers to the mineral’s color in powdered form. It can
be useful for identifying metallic and earthy minerals.
Non-metallic minerals usually give a white streak
because they are very light-colored. Other minerals
may have very distinctive streaks.
Example: HEMATITE – always gives a reddish-brown
streak no matter what type of luster it displays.
 CLEAVAGE
It is the ability of a mineral to break along
preffered planes.
The number of cleavage planes in a mineral may
also aid its identification.
Cleavage typically occurs in either one, two,
three, four or six directions.
 SPECIFIC GRAVITY
Refers to the “heaviness” of a mineral. It is
defined as a number that expresses the ratio
between the weight of a mineral and the weight
of an equal volume of water. Water has a
specific gravity of 1.
OTHERS (MOTTR)
Magnetism, Odor, Taste, Tenacity, Reaction to
acid.
EXAMPLES:
MAGNETITE- strongly magnetic mineral
SULFUR- Has distinctive smell
HALITE- Salty mineral
CALCITE FIZZES- Mineral with acid