| A | B |
|---|
| mineral | a naturally occuring, inorganic solid that has a crystal and a definite chemical composition |
| inorganic | a mineral cannot arrise from materials that were once part of a living thing or their remains |
| crystal | the repeating pattern of a mineral's particles that forms a solid |
| element | a substance composed of a simgle kinda of atom |
| compound | two or more elements chemically joined |
| Mohs Hardness Scale | ranks 10 minerals from softest to hardest. |
| streak | the color of a mineral's powder rubbing against a piece of unglazed porcelain called a streak plate |
| luster | term used to describe how a mineral reflects light from its surface |
| cleavage | a mineral that splits easily along a flat surface |
| fracture | describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart, when a mineral doesn't split easily |
| fluorescence | minerals that glow under ultraviolet light |
| crystallization | the process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure |
| solution | a mixture in which one substance dissolves in another |
| vein | a narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is much different from the surrounding rock |
| gemstone | a hard colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster, valued for its color, luster, durabilty, and rareness. Once it is cut and polished, called a gem. (jewelry and decoration, mechanical parts, grinding and polishing.)2 types of gems: - precious and semi-precious. |
| ore | a rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral |
| smelting | an ore is melted to separate the useful metal from the other elements the ore contains |
| alloy | a solid mixture of two or more metals ex. steel |
| density | mass divided by volume |
| hefting | weighing two objects by hand and comparing their weights |
| Identifying Minerals | Hardness, color, streak, luster, density, crystal shape, cleavage and fracture, special properties |
| 2 ways minerals are formed | 1. crystallization of melted materials (the process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure) 2. crystallization of materials dissolved in water |
| where minerals are found | most valuable minerals are found in or near areas of volcanic activity and mountain building (rich copper deposits are found along the Andes Mountains in Chile) |
| Uses of minerals | minerals are the source of metals, gemstones, and other materials used to make many products. |
| metals | aluminum, iron, copper, silver, are ductile and can change shape. Used for tools and machinery, metal filaments in a light bulb and streel grinders. |
| prospecter | anyone who searches or prospects for an ore deposit |
| 3 types of mines | 1. strip mines- earthmoving equiptment scrapes away soil to expose ore. 2. open pit mines- use giant earthmoving equiptment to dig a trementdous pit through the surface and below 3. shaft mines- network of tunnels that extend deep into the ground. |
| special properties | many minerals have special characteristics and they can be identified by these. (magnetite is magnetic, flourit glows under ultraviolet light, halite tastes salty, sulfur smells like rotton eggs or burnt rubber, calcite fizzes when hydrochloric acid is added to it and has double refraction and bends light, uraninite is radioactive, and all of the properties that are of minerals must occur naturally |
| metalic | the way that a mineral reflects light like a polished shiny metal |
| non-metalic | a mineral that doens't reflect much light (quartz is glassy, diamond is brilliant, talc is pearly) |
| metals | iron, lead, aluminum,copper, silver, and gold 1. conduct electricity and heat 2. can be pulled into strands and can be hammered into sheets (maliable and ductile) 3. have shiney surfaces 4. metals are removed from ores by smelting |
| nonmentals | poor conductors, dull surfaces, not easily shaped, removed from earth in usable amounts, some have to be processed, brittle |
| diamonds | the hardest known substance, formed when great pressure and heat change carbon atoms (mostly South Africa and Austrailia have volcanic pipes containing diamonds) |
| sphalerite | source of zinc and gallium |
| field hardness scale | uses fingernail, knife, copper penny, steel file, glass to determine the harness of minerals (Mohs scale is better) |
