Key Terms Flashcards
Define a mineral
Naturally occurring solid, with a specific chemical structure and composition and distinctive internal crystal structure.
What are minerals made up of?
Two or more chemical elements bonded together.
( Although there are single “native elements”, E.g. copper, sulphur, gold, silver etc)
What is a mineral compound made up of?
They are based on a positively charged metal and and a negatively charged part.
Often in minerals, the negatively charged part (nonmetal) is carried by a radical, which is a combination of atoms acting as a single negatively charged unit.
O
|
C
/ \
O O CO3 radical (carbonate radical)
Define a solid solution
When minerals do not have a specific. Chemical composition, and are a homogeneous mixture of two minerals.
E.g. the Olivine group of silicates)
What is a Native element?
A native element is a mineral that is composed of only one element.
Rather than a chemical compound like most minerals.
Examples of native elements are copper, sulphur, gold, silver etc.
What is a mineral defined by?
The chemical formula
The arrangement of atoms within crystals
The same mineral can crystallise in different ways. E.g. Marcasite and Pyrite are both Iron Sulphide, however Pyrite is cubic system and Marcasite is the orthorhombic system.
Define
Primary Minerals
Secondary Minerals
Primary minerals crystallize directly from magma, they remain unaltered. They include essential minerals that are necessary to assign a classification name to a rock. As well as the secondary minerals in lesser abundance which don’t affect the classification of the rock.
Secondary minerals are produced by the alteration of a primary mineral after its formation. E.g. When copper bearing primary minerals come into contact with carbonated water they alter into secondary azurite or malachite. Secondary mi nerals are often altered by chemical weathering.
