Min/Pet Exam 1 Flashcards
What is the most common mineral group?
feldspars
What is the chemical composition of quartz?
SiO2
Minerology
concerned with identification, classification, and formation of minerals
Petrology
concerned with identification, composition, formation, processes, and global distribution of rocks
Where was the second largest diamond found?
Botswana
Raw diamond is often found in…
kimberlite
The Hope Diamond is 1/2 part per million of…
boron
Between Jadeite and Nephrite, which mineral is harder?
Jadeite
What mineral makes up rubies and sapphires?
corundum
Industrial minerals
useful minerals and rocks that are not used as a source of metals or energy
Beneficiation
process in which rocks are separated and valuable minerals are concentrated
2/3 of the world’s cobalt comes from which country?
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
What are independent miners often referred to as?
artisanal miners
What is the biggest issue people and corporations have with the mining in DRC?
child labor
Which country manufactures the most batteries?
China
Rocks are made of _______ and minerals are made of _______.
minerals, elements
92% of Earth’s Crust is composed of _______ minerals.
silicate
Xenoliths
chunk of mantle brought up by magma on its way to the surface
Most important elements in forming rocks:
O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, K, Fe
Siderophile
iron-loving elements
Lithophile
rock-loving (often bond with silicates)
Why is there a lot of iron still in the crust?
meteors and leftovers from differentiation
1/5 of the world’s high grade nickel is controlled by who?
Russia
By how much will the electric grid have to expand to sustain the goal amount of EV’s?
2x
Battery and mineral supply will need to expand by how much to meet new demand?
10x
Which rare earth element is used to create vibrations?
neodymium
Mineral
naturally occurring inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition (can vary slightly) and a crystalline structure
Is water ice a mineral?
yes
Mineraloid
amorphous or organic, but satisfy every other characteristic of being a mineral (i.e. opal, jet, amber, pearl)
Silicate
have the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron as their structural unit
Oxide
contain oxygen but not SiO
Carbonate
contain CO
Phosphate
contain PO
Sulfide
contains S but not SO
What two categories are rare earth metals divided into?
light and heavy
China is dominant in processing REE’s, but who was before the 1980’s?
U.S.