1: Minerals Flashcards
What is a mineral/what criteria does it have to meet?
- substance (element or chemical compound) which meets the following criteria:
- naturally formed
- solid
- has a characteristic chemical formula
- Diamond - C
- Quartz - SiO2
- Muscovite mica
- Has a characteristic crystalline structure
- controls external symmetry
- Diamond
- controls physical properties
- Graphite, sheets will break and glide over each other.
- controls external symmetry
Process of mineral formation
- Crystallization from a cooling melt
- Precipitation from a solution
- hot water or acid solution
- evaporation
- secretion by organisms
- Solid-state diffusion
Silicates Importance
- 40% of common minerals
- 90% of the Earth’s crust
Silicates structures
- basic building block: the silca tetrahedron
Polymerization (silicates strucutres)
linking together of molecules
Silicate Rock: Quartz
- Framework structure
- SiO2
- Hard structure
- Same minerals as glass
Silicate Rock: Plagioclase feldspar
- Most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust
- White in color
- Blocky rectangular shaped crystals
- Slightly softer hardness
Silicate Rock: Potassium feldspar
- Similar blocky shape to it as plagioclase
- Framework structure
- Pink/Salmon color occasionally (if not pink, it is hard to tell from plagioclase)
- All from granite rock
Silicate Rock: Muscovite Mica
- Peel apart with your fingernail
- Sheet structure
Silicate Rock: Olivine
- Green color - paragoat
- “Olivine is olive green”
- Most abundant mineral in the earth’s mantel
Silicate Rock: Pyroxene
- Formed from lava
- Common in crustal rocks
- Single chain way of making a silicate mineral
Silicate Rock: Amphibole
- Very similar looking to Pyroxene
- Double chain strucutre
Silicate Rock: Biotite Mica
- Just like muscovite:
- Peel apart with your fingernail
- Sheet structure
- Black instead of white (like muscovite mica)
What 4 has iron in them, and what does iron do?
Olivine, Pyroxene, Amphilbole, and Biotite Mica.
Iron gives them color.
Non-Silicate Rock: Calcite
- Calcium Carbonate
- Main mineral in limestone
Non-Silicate Rock: Gypsum
- Calcium sulfate
- Evaporite deposits
Non-Silicate Rock: Halite
- Sodium chloride
- Evaporite deposits
- Essential for human diet
Non-Silicate Rock: Hematite
- Iron oxide
- rocks formed at the surface or in shallow water
Non-Silicate Rock: Magnetite
- Iron oxide
- rocks formed deep underground or in deep water
- strongest magnetic material
Asbestos?
A group of minerals that form tiny, flexible fibers.
What are the 3 types of Asbestos in common use?
White, Brown, Blue
White Asbestos?
- Chrysotile variety of serpentine
- 90-95% of all asbestos mined is white
Brown Asbestos?
Amosite, an amphibole
Blue Asbestos?
Crocidolite, an amphibole
Asbestos uses?
- Insulation (have fibers that track air pockets in them)
- Ceiling and floor tiles
- Fire-proofing
- Brakepads on cars
Asbestos hazards?
Air-borne exposure has been linked to various lung diseases.
- Asbestosis
- Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma
Total Asbestos deaths per year?
Around 7000-10000
You breathe in ~1 million fibers/yr produced from?
Surface weathering of rocks.
Which asbestos is much more pathogenic than the other types, but is no longer mined?
Blue Asbestos
Chronic exposure of asbestos in occupational settings (mining, plumbing, construction) can be…?
Hazardous
Risk from low-level, non-occupational exposure of asbestos is about what fraction?
1 in 1 million.
What is the longest-running and most expensive mass tort in U.S. history?
Abatement and litigation
- 600k total claimants
- 6k total defendants
- total cost > $250 billion
