Minerals Flashcards
What are the five basic characteristics of minerals?
Naturally occurring, Solid substance, crystalline structure, definite chemical composition, and generally considered inorganic
Crystallization from Magma
As magma cools, elements combine to form minerals.
Precipitation
The dissolved substances under lakes rivers and oceans can react in a certain way to form minerals when the water evaporates. Changes in water temperature can also do this.
Pressure and temperature
some new minerals form when existing minerals are under heat and pressure. Also heat can rearrange atoms to form more compact structures.
Hydro thermal solutions
A hydrothermal solution is a very hot mixture of water and dissolved substances. When contact comes in with minerals it can form new ones. Also, when solutions cool them elemants in them can combine to form minerals.
Silicates
Silicon and oxygen combine to form a structure known as the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron (siO2)(small two)
Carbonates
minerals that contain the elements carbon, oxygen, an done or more metallic elements.
Oxides
Oxides are minerals that contain oxygen and one or more other elemants which are usually metals.
Sulfates and Sulfides
minerals that contain the element sulfur.
Halides
minerals that contain a halogen ion plus and one or more other element.
Native element
Group of minerals that exist in relatively pure form
Streak
color of a mineral in its powdered form.
luster
used to describe how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral.
Crystal form
the visible expression of a mineral’s internal arrangement of atoms.
Hardness
used to see how strong a mineral is from being scratched
