Minerals

Question 1

Cinnabar

Answer 1

Red form of mercury sulfide (HgS) - Primary ore source for refining mercury - Source for the dye vermillion - Used since antiquity

Question 2

Magnetite

Answer 2

Iron oxide mineral (Fe3O4) - One of main sources of iron ore - Attracted to magnets, y can be magnetized itself - Naturally magnetized pieces are called lodestones

Question 3

Galena

Answer 3

Natural mineral form of lead sulfide (PbS) - Aka “lead glance” - Most important ore of lead y important source of silver - Used since ancient times due to easy smelting

Question 4

Uraninite

Answer 4

Radioactive, uranium-rich mineral mostly made of Uranium Dioxide (UO2) - Formerly called pitchblende - Major ore of uranium - Radium y Helium first isolated from uraninite source - Contains several other rare earth elements

Question 5

Beryl

Answer 5

Mineral composed of beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate - Forms crystals in a rainbow of different colors - Varieties incl. emerald (green), aquamarine (blue), heliodor (yellow), y morganite (pink) - Namesake of element Beryllium

Question 6

Slate

Answer 6

Fine-grained metamorphic rock formed from shale - Found worldwide - Used for roofing and floor tiles, y writing slates

Question 7

Shale

Answer 7

Fine-grained sedimentary rock formed from mud, clay, y quartz - Shale containing flammable kerogen is called Oil Shale, y is a substitute for crude oil

Question 8

Cassiterite

Answer 8

A tin oxide mineral (SnO2) - The main ore of tin throughout history - Found worldwide, but mostly mined in Bolivia y DR Congo

Question 9

Corundum

Answer 9

Crystalline form of Aluminum Oxide - Usually transparent, but presence of cadmium impurities makes rubies, y other transition metals make sapphires - Name comes from the Tamil word for ruby - Rated 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, able to scratch nearly any other mineral

Question 10

Silicon Dioxide

Answer 10

AKA Silica - An oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO2 - Most commonly found in nature as quartz or sand - Used in production of cement, glass, fiber optics, y computer chips - Crystalline forms include quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, y coesite - Opal is a hydrated amorphous form

Question 11

Limestone

Answer 11

A common type of carbonate sedimentary rock - Main source of the material lime, used for cement, chemical feedstocks, etc. - Composed mostly of calcium carbonate, in the form of the minerals calcite y aragonite - Often formed by a biological process in shallow marine environments from corals y shells, y often contains fossils - Chalk is a soft, fine-textured limestone