8th Earth Science Ch 9

Silicate

A mineral that contains mainly silicon and oxygen.

Native mineral

A mineral that contains only one element and that exists in its pure state in nature.

Carbonate

A mineral that one or more metal atoms and the carbonate ion.

Mineral

A naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solid that has a definite chemical composition.

Cleavage

A property of mineral crystals associated with their ease of splitting along distinct planes.

Mohs scale

A scale of relative hardness from 1 to 10 used for classifying minerals

What is a more reliable way to identify a mineral using color? Why is this test more reliable?

A streak test because it's produced of powder by rubbing a surface with a sample.

Acid test

A test used to identify certain minerals by noting their reaction with dilute hydrochloric acid.

By what process do crystals grow? What are two conditions under which this can happen?

Accretion; water and cooling magma

With what unit is the size or mass of gems measured?

Carat

What kind of luster should native silver have?

Metallic

Oxides, sulfides, and carbonates are good sources of what kind of materials?

Metals

A mineral sample is nothing but the element sulfur. What category of mineral is it?

Native minerals

List the key properties of a mineral.

Naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline, a solid, a chemical element or compound

Where are deposits of gold and other metals found?

Ores

Diamonds are composed of what element(s)? Why are diamonds considered minerals as defined in this chapter?

Pure carbon; diamonds carbon doesn't come from living things.

Fracture

The tendency of certain minerals to break rather than split along crystal planes; an identifying property of some minerals.

Why are minerals considered matter?

They have mass and take up space.

Mineralogist

A chemical geologist who mainly identifies, classifies, and analyzes minerals.

Streak (test)

A color test used to identify a mineral.

Oxide

A mineral composed of one r more metal elements and sulfur.

Compound mineral

A mineral made of a chemical compound. Most compound minerals occur in chemically similar forms that can be grouped into mineral families.

Halide

A mineral salt compound.

Which mineral property describes how well a crystal breaks along certain flat surfaces?

Cleavage

Of the three kinds of substances that make up matter in nature, which one forms most minerals?

Compound minerals

What familiar mineral has an adamantine luster?

Diamond

What geologic feature seems to be a common location for finding diamonds?

Diamond pipes

Radioactive minerals glow green in the dark all by themselves.

False

What are five common objects that can be used to estimate a minerals hardness?

Fingernail, copper coin, glass, knife blade, file

Name the native mineral that is the best conductor of electricity. What is one disadvantage of this precious metal?

Gold, silver, platinum, and copper; they easily allow heat and electricity to pass through them.

Hardness

In mineralogy, a minerals ability to scratch and to resist scratching that relates to the strength of the crystal structure.

Why was aluminum so precious in the mid-1800s?

It was difficult to get pure aluminum from bauxite.

Explain why quartz is not a mixture of silicon and oxygen.

Quartz is a compound since it has a fixed ratio of silicon and oxygen.

Ore

Rocks that contain certain valuable minerals.

Name the most abundant family of minerals in the earths crust. What are the two most common minerals in this family?

Silicates; feldspar and quartz

List several things that a mineral is not.

Steel, artificial gems, pearls, coal, air, liquid water, natural glass

What problem often comes with removing minerals from the earth? What consideration should always be a part of wise dominion in a fallen world?

Tailings that create unsightly landscapes. We must learn to use the earths recourses to the best of our ability.

What properties make copper such a useful native mineral?

Tarnish

Luster

The amount and quality of light a mineral reflects; can be used as a test o identify a mineral.

Specific gravity

The ratio of a minerals density to the density of water at 4 degrees C.

Why do geologist study minerals?

To better understand the geologic setting that they come from.

All the atoms that make up the minerals we see today appeared at Creation.

True

The Mohs hardness scale gives the relative hardness of minerals in comparison to each other.

True