Minerals

List three examples of renewable resources and three examples of nonrenewable resources.

Renewable - solar, forests and trees, water Nonrenewable - Metals, oil, coal

explain the difference between silicon and silicate.

Silicon is an element. Silicates contain silicon and oxygen and are the major constituents of continental crust.

nonsilicates

mineral group that lacks silicas in their structures and account for less then 10 percent of earths crust

rock forming minerals

minerals that make up most of the rocks of earths crust

tenacity

minerals toughness or resistance to breaking or deforming

silicate

numerous minerals that have the oxygen and silicon tetrahedron as their basic structure

Mineral resources

occurrences of useful minerals in such large amounts that extraction is reasonably certain.

specific gravity

ratio of a substance weight of an equal volume of water

Mohs Scale

series of 10 minerals used as a standard in determining hardness

dark silicate mineral

silicate mineral that contains ions of iron or magnesium

luster

the appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of the mineral

Minerology

the study of minerals

What characteristics does an Earth material must have in order to be considered a mineral.

• Naturally occurring • Generally inorganic • Solid • Orderly crystalline structure • Definite chemical composition.

What differentiates cleavage from fracture?

Cleavage occurs when a mineral breaks cleanly along a plane. Fracture occurs when there is no distinct plane along which the mineral can break; when hit with a rock hammer, the mineral will fracture into irregular pieces.

List the eight most common elements in Earth's crust, in order of abundance (most to least).

Oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium.

What do we mean when we refer to a mineral's tenacity? List three terms that describe tenacity.

Tenacity is a mineral's resistance to cutting, breaking, and other forms of deformation. Three terms that describe tenacity are brittle, malleable, and ductile. Elastic is another term.

ore deposit

a naturally occurring concentration of one or more minerals with economic value.

light silicate mineral

a silicate mineral that lacks iron or magnesium

What is the most common carbonate mineral?

calcite

streak

color of a mineral in powder form

economic minerals

concentration of a mineral resource or reserve that can be profitably extracted from earth

What is the most abundant mineral in Earth's crust?

feldspar