Minerals and Rocks

Properties of Minerals: 5 Characteristics

• Natural
• Solid
• Crystal
• Forms inorganically
• Chemical composition

Minerals, Compounds, Elements

• Elements: simplest form of matter
• Compound: two or more elements
• Mineral: a compound or mixture of more than one compound

Properties of Minerals

• Color
• Streak
• Luster

Mohs Hardness Scale

• Ranks the hardness of minerals.

Density

• Water displacement
• Mass divided by volume

Crystal Structure

• Atoms in a repetitive pattern
• Different minerals have different shapes
• Crystals classified by number of faces.

Cleavage and Fracture

• Cleavage: mineral that splits easily along flat surgace
• Fracture: how mineral looks when you break it.

Special Properties

• Conduct Electricity
• Glow
• Magnetic

Mineral Formation: Organic and Inorganic

• Organic processes
• Crystiallization from a dissolved mineral
• Geode

Mineral Formation: Solutions

• Solutions
• Evaporation
• Hot water

Mineral Formation: Lava and Magma

• Cool over thousands of years in the crust
• Lava can harden on the surface
• Makes up the majority of Earth's crust

Mineral Resources

• Crust
• Ore
• Mines