2. Minerals
A mineral is generally occurring,
inorganic, homogenous solid with
definite chemical composition and
ordered internal/crystalline
structure.
3. A mineral should be naturally-occurring with
respect to its formation. It should be made by
natural processes without the aid of any organism.
In the case of laboratory studies, any material that
is formed in laboratories or artificial conditions is
not considered a mineral.
A mineral is naturally-occurring
4. The process to produce a mineral by natural
means is extended further by making sure that no
organic material be considered a mineral. This
would means that bones, shells, teeth, and other
hard parts of an organism are not minerals.
A mineral is an organic
5. By saying that a mineral is a homogenous solid, we
should be able to see something that is uniform in
appearance and is in the solid state of matter. This
property of minerals is very important especially
when dealing with materials in other states of
matter such as liquid and gases.
A mineral is a homogenous solid
6. A mineral must also possess uniformity in its
chemical composition. This means that a material,
if we are to call it a mineral, should have definite
chemical constituents.
A mineral has a definite
chemical composition
7. What do you mean by crystalline? For a layman, a crystal
is something that possess beautiful planar facets or faces
that are often associated with cut or polished gems.
A crystalline material is something that has its elemental
components arranged in an ordered fashion. This means
that the material repeats this order in a three-dimensional
framework that can extend virtually into infinity.
A mineral has an ordered
internal/crystalline structure.
8. MINERALOIDS
Any material which passes most of the criteria (but not all)
we have set can be considered a mineraloid. Most of the
time, mineraloids are naturally-occurring, inorganic,
homogeneous solids with definite chemical compositions
but with no ordered internal structure.
Examples of mineraloids would be volcanic glass and opal.
10. ·it is the perceived wavelength of light that bounced off
from the material and is detected by our eyes. Most of
the time composition dictates what color/hue the
mineral will take. There are instances where color
becomes a diagnostic property of a mineral. Diagnostic
means that the mineral will only exhibit a single color
regardless of where it came from.
COLOR
MINERAL PROPERTIES
11. ·it is the color of mineral in a powdered form. Minerals
show color differently when ground into fiNe powder.
This is because the presence of smooth surfaces of
compact crystals sometimes reflects light differently
compared to a powdered mass.
STREAK
MINERAL PROPERTIES
12. ·is the behaviour of light as it is reflected by the surface
of a mineral. In the description of luster, minerals are
characterized as being Metallic or Non-metallic.
Minerals having metallic luster reflects light similar to a
polished metal. This does not necessarily mean that a
mineral has metallic elements in its composition.
LUSTER
MINERAL PROPERTIES
13. ·is the resistance of a mineral to scratching. It should be
noted that scratching is different from breaking. In
determining hardness, the mineral is tested by
scratching the surface with a measurable amount of
force.
HARDNESS
MINERAL PROPERTIES
14. ·is the tendency of a mineral to break along particular directions.
This breakage happens along zones of weakness within the crystal
structure of the mineral. When force is applied to mineral, It tends
to separate on regions where the bonding is relatively weaker.
Note: The presence of cleavage in a mineral is independent of its
hardness. Even diamond exhibit cleavage. Cleavage is described
as Perfect, Good, Fair, or Poor.
CLEAVAGE
MINERAL PROPERTIES
16. MINERALS SHOW A WIDE RANGE OF PHYSICAL
PROPERTIES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL IN ORDER TO HELP US
IDENTIFY THEM. SEVERAL OTHER PROPERTIES THAT CAN
HELP US IN IDENTIFICATION INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
MAGNETISM
FLUORESCENCE
REACTION TO CHEMICALS
TASTE
ODOR
18. FLUORESCENCE
SOME MINERALS, WHEN EXPOSED TO A CERTAIN
WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT, WILL GROW OR APPEAR TO
RELEASE A CERTAIN LIGHT. THIS PHENOMENON IS
KNOWN A S FLUORESCENCE. THE MOST COMMON
FLUORESCENT MINERAL KNOWN IS FLUORITE. FLUORITE
SHOWS FLUORESCENCE UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT.
19. REACTIONS TO CHEMICALS
·MINERALS, BECAUSE OF THEIR DEFINITE
COMPOSITIONS, WILL REACT AT CERTAIN CONDITIONS
TO DIFFERENT CHEMICALS PRESENTED TO THEM. THE
MOST COMMON TEST IS CALLED THE ACID TEST
WHEREIN DILUTE (USUALLY, 10% BY VOLUME)
HYDROCHLORIC ACID (HCL) IS ALLOWED TO REACT
WITH A MINERAL.
20. TASTE
SOME MINERALS WILL EXHIBIT TASTE LIKE SALTY,
SWEET, OR BITTER. IT SHOULD BE NOTED, HOWEVER,
THAT A LARGE PORTION OF MINERALS ARE ALSO NOT
SAFE TO EAT. THERE ARE A FEW MINERALS THAT ARE
IDENTIFIABLE WITH THEIR TASTE SUCH AS THE MINERAL
HALITE (NACL). HALITE IS SIMILAR TO YOUR ORDINARY
TABLE SALT.
21. ODOR
CERTAIN MINERALS GIVE OFF DISTINCT SMELL SIMILAR
TO SOME SPICES (E.G. GARLIC) OR INDUSTRIAL
MATERIALS (E.G. FIREWORKS). AGAIN, IT SHOULD BE
NOTED THAT SOME MINERALS MAY CAUSE HARMFUL
EFFECT ONCE THEY GET INTO OUR BODIES. A
PARTICULAR MINERAL SUCH AS SULFUR (S) SMELLS
LIKE ROTTEN EGGS.
