MINERALOGY BASIC CONCEPTS (MINERAL PROPERTIES) Flashcards
Modes of Formation of Minerals
- Precipitation from Solution
- Sublimation from Gas
- Crystallization from a melt or other liquid
- Solid State Growth
- Solid-Liquid or Solid-Gas reactions
Solutions from which minerals can precipitate
- Surface Water (springs, rivers, lakes, oceans)
- Groundwater
- Hydrothermal Solutions
Formation through solid state growth is common in
Metamorphic Minerals and Rocks
Solid-liquid or solid gas is common in
Weathering
Vein formation
Metamorphism
Small Seed Crystals
Nuclei
Does crystal faces reflect internal structure?
Yes
CH a=b=c
equant
CH a=b>c; c is thin
Tabular
CH a=b»c; c is very thin
platy
CH a>b=c; a is long
Prismatic or columnar
Ch a>b>c; a is long, c is thick
Bladed
CH a»>b=c; band c are very thin
Acicular
CH a»»b=c; b and c are extremely thin
Capillary or filliform
equal dimensions cube or sphere
equant
tablet or diskette like
Tabular
sheet like
Platy
pillar like or column like; Slender to Stubby
Prismatic or Columnar
blade or knife like
Bladed
needle like
Acicular
hair like
Capillary or filliform
Assemblage of similar crystals
crystal aggregate
acicular - filiform parallel
Fibrous
acicular - filiform coming from a central point
Radiating
primastic diverging from a common area
Divergent
tabular-bladed lattice work like a scaffolding
Reticulated
tabular-bladed petal like arrangement
Roseiform
surface lined with very small “goosebump-like” crystal
Outward Pointing Clusters
drusy
tree like branching network of crystals
dendritic or aborescent
like foliated but split into sheets
Micaceous
subparallel layers of minerals
lamellar or foliated (Medyo wavy)
Aggregate of very small crystals with a fine-grained apperance
massive
subequant macroscopic crystal aggregates with granular apperance
granular
parallel layers of same minerals with different colors as in agate
banded
spherical to subspherical layers about a common center parang dendrocrons sa trees
concentric
globular or ball like cluster likes bunch of grapes
botryoidal or colloform
large round masses resembling human breasts
mamillary
radiating compact clusters of crystals ending in rounded kidney-like surface
reniform
Compact clusters radiating outwars forming rounded ball-like shapes
Globular
spherical concentrically layered sand sized grain aggregate <2mm
oolitic
spherical, concentrically layers, gravel sized aggregates
pisolitic
spherical to ellipsoidal gas vesicles infilled with secondary minerals
amygdaloidal
grains having size of granulated sugar
saccharoidal
resembling pendant cylinders or cones
stalactitic
radiating invdividuals forming star like or circular groups
stellated
Crystal aggregates produced by partial or complete filling of subspherical cavity as crystallization proceeds from the walls inwards
geodes
aggregates consist of sub-spherical bodies that include both newly precipitated crystals and pre-existing material formed by growing outward from a central nucleus within a rock body and incorporating pre-existing mineral material as they do so
concretions/concretionary
Resistance of minerals to scratching or abrasion by a sharp tool
Hardness
Invented the Mohs Scale
Frederic Mohs 1824
relative hardness scale
Mohs Scale of Hardness
hardness of fingernail
2.5
hardness of a copper penny
3.5
hardness of a wire nail
4.5
hardness of a glass plate and Knife blade
5.5
hardness of a streak plate
6.5
Mohs Scale Minerals
(The Good Cat Flew Around Our Queen To Catch Dogs)
Talc
Gypsum
Calcite
Fluorite
Apatite
Orthoclase
Quartz
Topaz
Corundum
Diamond
Soft minerals
= 3
Intermediate
3-5.5
Hard
> /=5.5
Quantitative measure of hardness of minerals
Knoop Hardness Scale
What is the basis of Knoop scale?
Absolute hardness related to stress required to indent a polished mineral surface
Formula for knoop
(Force applied x Time of application)/ Size of indentation
The larger the identation the ______ the mineral
softer (Inversely proportional)
Knoop of Scale
T 1
G 32
C 135
F 163
A 430
O 560
Q 820
T 1340
C 1800
D 7000
Hardness of a mineral depends on
1) Bond Strength
2) Density of Concentration in a crystal structure
mass per unit volume
density
units of density
kg/cu m or g/ cc
the number of atoms per unit volume
packing index
Density is proportional to
1) Packing index
2) Atomic Mass Number
Ratio of the density of a material and the density of pure water at STP
Specific gravity
STP
3.9 deg celsius / 273.15 kelvin/ 32F
1 atm (101.325 kPa) 760mmHg
density of water at STP
1 g/cc
simply the total mass accelerated by gravity
weight
what is the average acc due to gravity?
9.8 m/s^2
unit of weight
Newton or kg-m/s^2
density of gold
19.3 g/cc
Sg of Gold
19.3 unitless
a cubic cm of gold has a total mass of
19.3 g
weight of a cubic cm of gold
0.196 N
response of minerals to short term stresses at normal surface temp and presure
Tenacity
Ability of being bent and returning to their orig shape when stress is released
Elasticity
ability to be bent but not returning to orig shape
Flexibility
plastic behaviour which can be hammered into thin sheets
Malleability
plastic behaviour which can be draw into thin wires
Ductility
minerals which breaks or fractures upon applying stress
Brittle
can be cut into thin shavings
sectile