Silicates vs' Nonsilicates

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Mineral Groups

• Silicates vs. Nonsilicates

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Minerals

• Over 400o minerals have been identified and
  named, but only a few dozen are abundant in the
  Earths crust.
• Out of the rock forming minerals, only eight
  elements make up the these minerals and represent
  98 of the Earths crust.

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Silicates

• This groups of minerals accounts for more than
  90 of the Earths crust.
• The minerals consist of the elements silicon,
  oxygen, and usually a third element (Fe, Mg, K,
  Na, Ca).
• Quartz is the only silicate made up of only
  oxygen and silicon.
• All silicates take on the silicon-oxygen
  tetrahedron geometric structure.

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Silicates

• The most common silicate mineral is the feldspar
  group. They make up over 50 of the Earths
  crust.
• Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the
  continental crust.
• Because all silicate minerals contain strong
  oxygen-silicon bonds, the minerals tend to cleave
  between the structures rather than across the
  structures.

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Nonsilicates

• These minerals are far less abundant in the
  Earths crust, but are very important
  economically.
• Iron and Aluminum and used in automobile
  manufacturing.
• Gypsum is used for plaster and drywall.
• Copper is used in electrical wire.
• Other nonsilicates, such as carbonates (CO3-2),
  sulfates (SO4-2) and halides (Cl-1, F-1, Br-1)
  are used to form sedimentary rock.
• The nonsilicate minerals account for 8 of the
  Earths crust.)

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Nonsilicates - Carbonates

• The carbonate group, mainly calcium carbonate, is
  a major component in limestone and marble.
• Both rocks are valued economically and used
  commonly in building.

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Halite and Gypsum

• These nonsilicates are mined primarily from the
  ocean floor.
• In the most recent past (6 million years), the
  Mediterranean Sea has dried up and refilled
  several times.
• When 65 of the seawater evaporates, gypsum
  precipitates.
• When 90 of the seawater evaporates, halite
  crystals precipitate followed by potassium and
  magnesium salts.

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Mineral Resources

• Metallic minerals mined for profit are referred
  to as an ore.
• Nonmetallic minerals mined for profit are
  referred to as industrial rocks.
• To be considered a profitable resource, an
  element must be concentrated about the level of
  its average crustal abundance.
• Just like with any other material, the rules of
  supply and demand apply.

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Aerial view of Bingham Canyon copper mine near
Salt Lake City, Utah