Formation
Mining
Testing Minerals
Identification
Criteria
100
Explain the process by which water evaporates to form minerals.
Water evaporates and leaves behind the minerals that were dissolved in the water.
100
What are the two types of mining?
Surface mining and deep mining.
100
Name 5 of the 9 tests that we use to identify minerals.
(Any 5) Color, Streak, Luster, Cleavage, Fracture, Hardness, Magnetism, Fluorescence, Crystal Structure
100
Given the mineral identification key that I gave you, tell me which mineral I am describing: Variable color, glassy, 6.5-10, no streak
Topaz/Diamond/Quartz
100
List the 5 criteria that a substance must meet to be considered a mineral.
1. Naturally occurring 2. Solid 3. Inorganic 4. Definite chemical makeup 5. Orderly structure (crystal)
200
Explain the process in which minerals are formed by hot water cooling.
When hot water from within the Earth's crust cools, the dissolved minerals separate from the water and become solid again.
200
Which method of mining does the least destruction to the land?
Surface mining (strip mining)
200
What is the different between fracture and cleavage?
Fracture is a jagged/rough break and cleavage is a smooth break.
200
Given the mineral identification key that I gave you, tell me which mineral I am describing: Variable color, glassy, 2.5-3.5, no streak, fizzes in acid
Calcite
200
What does it mean to have a crystal structure?
Crystal structure means that the atoms are arranged in a orderly pattern.
300
Explain the process in which minerals form by molten rock cooling.
Minerals can grow from magma/lava cooling in which the atoms join together to form different minerals.
300
What are the two types of surface mining?
Strip mining and open-pit mining.
300
Name the two tests that are most reliable when identifying a mineral.
Hardness and Streak
300
Given the mineral identification key that I gave you, tell me which mineral I am describing: Variable color, pearly, hardness is first number of Mohs hardness scale, white streak
Talc
300
What does it mean for a mineral to have a definite chemical makeup? Give an example.
A definite chemical makeup means that the mineral is always made of the same elements. An example of this is salt. Salt is always made of one sodium and one chlorine atom. (NaCl)
400
Explain the process in which minerals are formed by heat and pressure causing changes.
Heat and pressure within the Earth's crust cause atoms to break and join again.
400
Explain the difference between strip mining and open-pit mining.
Strip mining strips the top layers of soil and unwanted rock and then dig the ore out. Open-pit mining also removes the surface layer of soil but then they use dynamite to break up the underlying rock and get the ore.
400
Which test is the least reliable when identifying a mineral and WHY?
Color because it can vary from sample to sample.
400
Given the mineral identification key that I gave you, tell me which mineral I am describing: Metallic, harder than glass, softer than a steel plate, black streak
Magnetite
400
What is the most common group of minerals and what are they made of?
Silicates - silicon and oxygen
500
Explain the process in which organisms produce minerals and give an example.
Organisms can produce their own minerals. Clams/oysters - produce calcite and other carbonate Humans - produce apatite
500
When is deep mining used and explain the process of deep mining.
Deep mining is used when the ore is deep within the Earth's surface. Miners must dig a passage deep into the Earth's crust and then they make a horizontal passage by digging, drilling, blasting, etc.
500
What is the softest and the hardest mineral on the Mohs hardness scale? And what numbers are the minerals represented by?
1 - Talc (softest) 10 - Diamond (hardest)
500
Given the mineral identification key that I gave you, tell me which mineral I am describing: Grey color, harder than a fingernail, softer than a penny, grey streak
Galena
500
We talked about two minerals that are the same, yet so different. What are these two minerals, how are they the same, how are they different, and WHY are they different?
The two minerals were graphite and diamond. They are the same because they are both made of carbon atoms. They are different because graphite is dull, grey, and soft while diamond is glassy, clear, and hard. They are different because of the crystal structure (atom arrangement).
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