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Environmental Geoscience > Minerals > Flashcards

Minerals Flashcards

1
Q

What 4 traits define a mineral?

A
  • Naturally formed
  • Inorganic
  • Crystalline when solid
  • Specific chemical composition
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2
Q

Define a crystal.

A

Any solid body growing with planar surfaces, where the angle between faces remains constant as it grows

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3
Q

What is ‘growth habit’?

A

The characteristic crystal form of a mineral

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4
Q

What are some examples of mineral growth habits?

A

Prismic, cubic, acicular, botryoidal, fibrous

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5
Q

Describe prismic mineral growth? Give an example

A

Hexagonal shape (e.g quartz)

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6
Q

Give an example of cubic mineral growth.

A

Galena

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7
Q

Describe acicular mineral growth.

A

Needle-like

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8
Q

Describe botryoidal mineral growth.

A

Grape-like

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9
Q

Give an example of fibrous mineral growth.

A

Asbestos

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10
Q

Are minerals one element or compounds?

A

Either, but most are compounds

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11
Q

What is cleavage (in a mineral)? Where is it usually?

A

The plane along which a mineral tends to break, usually a plane with weaker bonds

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12
Q

What type of bonds does galena have? What’s that bond like?

A

Ionic bonds
- Transfer of electrons between a metal and a non-metal

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13
Q

What type of bonds does Diamond have? What’s that bond like?

A

Covalent bonds
- Sharing of electrons between non-metals

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14
Q

What type of bonds does graphite have?

A

Strong covalent bonds in layers, weak Van der Waal forces between layers

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15
Q

What is the lustre of a mineral?

A

The quality and intensity of light it reflects

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16
Q

Name the 5 most important mineral lustres.

A

Metallic, vitreous, resinous, pearly, greasy

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17
Q

Describe a vitreous lustre.

A

Glassy

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18
Q

Describe a resinous lustre.

A

Look of dried glue/amber

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19
Q

Why is colour unreliable in mineral identification?

A

Can be unreliable due to small impurities

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20
Q

What is the streak of a mineral?

A

The colour of the thin layer left behind when the specimen is rubbed on unglazed ceramic plate

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21
Q

What does the Mohs scale measure?

A

Hardness

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22
Q

What is hardness?

A

A mineral relative resistance to scratching

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23
Q

What are the first and last minerals on the Moh scale?

A
  1. Talc
    .
    .
    .
  2. Diamond
24
Q

What is specific gravity? How is it measured/

A

A property used to measure density.
- The weight of a substance in air divided by the weight of an equal volume of water

25
Q

Name 5 more mineral properties.

A

Magnetism, taste, chemical reaction with acid, double refraction, fluorescence

26
Q

What is the difference between megascopic textural features and microscopic ones?

A

Megascopic can be viewed with the unaided eye, microscopic require high magnification

27
Q

What extra technique is used when viewing rocks under high magnification to better view their components?

A

The use of plane polarised light

28
Q

What are the 3 main mineral groups?

A
  • Silicates (most abundant)
  • Carbonates, sulphates and phosphates
  • Ore minerals, oxides and sulfides
29
Q

Which two elements make up >70% of the weight of the earth’s crust?

A

Silicon and Oxygen

30
Q

What is the basic building block of silicates? How is it structured?

A

A silicate tetrahedron, silicon at the centre with 4 covalently bonded oxygens

31
Q

What two things can a silicate tetrahedron do?

A
  • Form ionic bonds with other atoms/molecules
  • Form covalent bonds with other tetrahedra
32
Q

Where is Olivine common?

A

A common constituent of igneous rocks in oceanic crust and the upper part of the mantle.

33
Q

What are the 2 types of chain silicates? Where are they both common?

A

Pyroxenes (single chains) or Amphiboles (double chains)
- Common in igneous rocks and difficult to differentiate between

34
Q

What are sheet silicates commonly called? What’s their structure?

A

Micas - Each tetrahedra shares 3 O atoms

35
Q

What’s the main difference between pyroxene and amphibole?

A

Pyroxene - cleavages at 90°
Amphibole - cleavages at 120°

36
Q

Name 3 micas?

A

Muscovite, Biotite, Chlorite

37
Q

______________ accounts for about 60% of all continental crust minerals.

A

Feldspar

38
Q

What are the 2 most common types of feldspar?

A

Potassium (K) feldspar
Plagioclase feldspar

39
Q

How are feldspars formed?

A

By a silicate tetrahedra sharing all its O atoms

40
Q

What shape crystals does quartz form?

A

Six-sided (prismic)

41
Q

What are fine grained quartz called?

A

Chalcedony

42
Q

What 3 carbonate minerals are most common?

A

Calcite, Dolomite, Aragonite

43
Q

Which carbonate mineral reacts vigorously to hydrochloric acid?

A

Calcite

44
Q

What 2 Sulphate minerals are most common?

A

Anhydrite, Gypsum

45
Q

What is the most important phosphate mineral? Why is it so significant?

A

Apatite, our bones and teeth are made of apatite

46
Q

What are the two main types of Ore Minerals?

A

Sulphides and oxides

47
Q

What features are common in a sulphide ore mineral?

A

Metallic lustres and high specific gravities

48
Q

What are the 2 most common sulphide ore minerals?

A

Pyrite, galena

49
Q

What are the 2 most common oxide ore minerals?

A

Magnetite, hematite

50
Q

What 3 important things about the past can minerals tell us about?

A
  • Temperature and pressure where they formed
  • Climate
  • Seawater composition (by studying evaporite minerals)
51
Q

What is the order of Mohs hardness scale?

A
  1. Talc
    Gypsum
    (fingernail)
    Calcite
    (copper penny)
    Fluorite
    Apatite
    (pocket knife / glass)
    K-feldspar
    Quartz
    Topaz
    Corundum
    Diamond
52
Q

What two minerals are softer than a fingernail on the mohs hardness scale?

A

Talc and gypsum

53
Q

What mineral is between fingernail and copper penny on the mohs hardness scale?

A

Calcite

54
Q

Which minerals are harder than a pocket knife/glass on the mohs scale?

A

K-feldspar
Quartz
Topaz
Corundum
Diamond

55
Q

Which minerals are between copper penny and pocket knife on the mohs hardness scale?

A

Fluorite
Apatite

Environmental Geoscience (10 decks)

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