Mineralogy Intro Flashcards
According to Geology, what is a mineral?
Naturally occurring
Inorganic solid
Orderly Crystalline Structure
Has a chemical formula
A mineral forms by itself in nature without any aide from humans.
Naturally occuring
Lab grown minerals
Synthetic minerals
Do not contain any organic materials. However, minerals can be produced organically through biogenic processes.
Inorganic
Minerals produced by living organisms.
Biominerals
Minerals’ atoms are arranged in a specific order that gives them their crystalline structure.
Ordered crystalline Structure
Materials that possess a geometric crystal structure.
Crystals
“Minerals” that do not possess an ordered crystalline structure.
Amorphous
Minerals have a specific ratio of atoms, but does not have to have a fixed composition.
Definite chemical formula
A range of minerals that occurs or belong in a range of chemical compositions.
Mineral Series
Plagioclase Feldspar
(Ca,Na)(Al,Si)AlSi2O8
Mineral-like materials but lack one or more of the criteria of a mineral.
Mineraloid
Durable, beautiful, somewhat rare, solid substances that, with proper cut and polish, may be used as jewels for ornamentation.
Gem
A mineral that can occur in a different colors, habits or other properties.
Mineral Variety
A range of minerals that occurs or belong in a range of chemical compositions.
Mineral Series
Early humans made use of minerals for creating the historic cave paintings. They utilized red hematite and black manganese oxides as pigments.
Stone Age
Minerals were mined for the extraction of metals.
Bronze Age
Who categorized 16 minerals into three groups: metals, stones, and earth and when?
Theophrastus (327-287 BC)
The Father of Economic Geology
-published the first account of mining practices and information on minerals.
Georgius Agricola
The book made by Georgius Agricola (what year)
De Re Metallica Libri XII in 1556
The Father of Stratigraphy
also known for studying and discovering constant crystal face angles in 1669.
Nicolas Steno
Invented the Contact Goniometer in 1780
Arnould Carangeot
Studied and created more work on crystal angle measurement, confirming Steno’s work and formulated the Law of the Consistency of Interfacial Angle in 1783.
Rome de I’sle
Conceptualized that crystals were made of minute building blocks or unit cells which he called Integral Molecules in 1784, and further developed the Theory of Rational Indences for Crystal Faces in 1801.
Rene Just Hauy
Invented the reflecting goniometer in 1809. which permitted precise measurements of crystal faces, and had the mineral Wollastonite named after him.
William Hyde Wollaston
Developed the chemical classification of minerals together with his students between 1719 - 1848.
Baron Jons Jacob Berzelius
Invented the polarizing microscope in 1828
William Nicol
