U4L1 Rock and Mineral Properties Flashcards
What is the definition of luster?
The way light interacts with the surface of a rock or mineral
What is the definition of vitreous?
Glassy
What is the hardness of a mineral?
The hardness of a mineral is its ability to resist scratching.
What scale is used to determined hardness?
The Mohs Scale
Made by Friedrich Mohs
How do you find density using math?
The density of a substance is the ratio between its mass and its volume.
What an objects density?
An object’s density is related to whether it sinks or floats in a liquid. If the object sinks, it is more dense than the liquid. If it floats, it is less dense than the liquid.
What is the loser of an object?
The luster of a rock or mineral sample is the way light interacts with its surface.
What is metallic luster?
A rock or mineral that looks like a shiny metal has metallic luster.
What is sub-metallic luster?
A sample with submetallic luster has the appearance of a dull metal. Its surface is reflective but slightly dulled.
What is non metallic luster?
A rock or mineral with non-metallic luster doesn’t look like a metal at all.
Non-metallic luster sub-types:
• adamantine: translucent with a sparkly appearance
• dull: opaque, no reflection
• earthy: looks like soil or clay
• greasy: looks to be coated in oil
• pearly: has the sheen of a pearl
• resinous: looks like amber; not quite glassy
• silky: looks like silk; fine parallel fibers of
mineral
• vitreous: looks like glass
• waxy: looks like wax
Which one mineral is known to repel from a magnetic field?
Bismuth
What is cleavage?
Cleavage refers to the tendency of a mineral to break along smooth planes.
What is fracture?
Fracture refers to the tendency of a mineral to break along surfaces that are not smooth.
What is the definition of magnetism?
How a mineral reacts when placed within a magnetic field
How do minerals affect human activities?
Discoveries of gold prompt people to move to a new territory; technology sparks new ways to use minerals that have been mined for years. From the common to the rare, rocks and minerals continue to leave their mark on human history.
What properties and characteristics made each of these minerals desirable?
Gold is valued because it does not rust or corrode. Rare earth minerals are valued because they can used in modern technologies like batteries.
How have rare earth minerals affected human activity?
Rare earth minerals have enabled people to develop new technologies. Because mining these minerals has negative environmental effects, people are now seeking to reduce their dependence on these minerals or to find ways to reuse these resources.
What is so special about silica sand?
Silica has moisture-absorbing properties. This mineral is also abrasive, meaning it is rough and can used to polish a surface.
What is silica sand used for?
You may have seen silica gel packets, which rely on silica’s moisture-absorbing properties.
What does hydraulic fracturing, or framing, do?
A method of extracting oil and gas by injecting rocks with a liquid at high pressure.
_____ is pure silica and is used as a proppant in fracking–it props open the fractures within the rock.
Frac sand
What does frac sand do to the environment?
It effects sand dune ecosystems
What properties of silica make it useful for making glass?
Silica has a high melting point. When it is melted, it becomes transparent.
What are the results of mining sand dunes?
Entire mountainous sand dunes have disappeared.
How has mining silica sand from sand dunes influenced human activity?
Mining silica sand provided jobs. Glass made from silica sand was used for canning jars. Removal of sand dunes has affected people’s use of lake shore areas of Lake Michigan.
How is glass made?
From melting sand that high silica content.
Where is silica mainly found?
In dune sand
What is phosphorus?
A necessary nutrient for all living things
Where is phosphorus found?
Every cell in the human body, especially in bones
What do plants need phosphorus for?
They need it in order to grow
What is phosphorus used for?
Fertilizers
Why is the demand for phosphorus increasing?
As the human population continues to increase, phosphate fertilizers are crucial to growing enough food to feed all people.
Where do people get phosphate?
Mining phosphate rock
What happened to the phosphate in Nauru?
After decades of phosphate mining, 80 percent of the island nation of Nauru was strip-mined. The phosphate reserves ran out by the year 2000, and the island is not able to grow enough food for its population due to the environmental damage.
What properties of silica sand make it useful in hydraulic fracturing?
It can withstand great pressure.
Two unknown mineral samples, A and B, are rubbed against each other. Mineral A scratches mineral B. What can you infer about the minerals?
Mineral A is harder than mineral B.
How have phosphate minerals MOST affected human activity?
Using phosphate minerals in fertilizer allowed humans to grow more crops.
Which of the following statements about mining booms is true?
Property values tend to increase in the short term.
Light bounces off of a mineral sample. What can you say about the mineral?
The mineral is reflective.
