Minerals

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Minerals
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Minerals

• Minerals are substances that meet five
  requirements
• naturally occurring
• inorganic
• solid
• definite chemical composition
• ordered internal structure

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Mineral Characteristics(The following questions
can help determine if a substance is a mineral or
not.)

• Is it formed naturally?
• Is it nonliving or inorganic?
• Is it a solid?
• Does it have a definite chemical composition?
• Does it have an ordered internal structure?

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• "Naturally occurring" means that people did not
  make it. Steel is not a mineral because it is an
  alloy produced by people.

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• "Inorganic" means that the substance is not made
  by an organism. Wood and pearls are made by
  organisms and thus are not minerals.
• "Solid" means that it is not a liquid or a gas at
  standard temperature and pressure.

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• "Definite chemical composition" means that all
  occurrences of that mineral have a chemical
  composition that varies within a specific limited
  range. For example the mineral halite has a
  chemical composition of NaCl. It is made up of an
  equal number of atoms of sodium and chlorine.

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• "Ordered internal structure" means that the atoms
  in a mineral are arranged in a systematic and
  repeating pattern. Halite is composed of an equal
  ratio of sodium and chlorine atoms arranged in a
  cubic pattern.

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• Crystals are solid, geometric forms of minerals
  produced by a repeating pattern of atoms.
• All minerals are grouped into classes according
  to the kinds of crystal the form.

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Types of Minerals

• Minerals are divided into two groups based on the
  elements they are composed of. The two groups
  are Silicates and Non-Silicates.

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Silicates
Mica

• Silicates contain the two most common elements in
  the Earths crust, silicon oxygen.
• Silicates make up 90 of the Earths crust.
• Examples are Feldspar, Mica, Quartz.

Feldspar
Quartz
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Non-Silicates

• Non-silicates do not contain both Silicon and
  Oxygen.
• Examples are calcite, galena,pyrite, gypsum,
  halite

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Value of Minerals

• Ore is the term used describe mineral deposits
  that are large enough to be mined for profit.
• Ores vary in value and so do gems. Gems are rare
  and attractive.
• After minerals are mined the land has to be
  reclaimed or put back to its original state.

The Hope Diamond
Ore mine pit
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Mining 

• Surface mining recovers minerals at or near the
  surface. Example Strip Mining or Open Pit
  Mining
• Deep Mining far below Earths surface. Deep
  mining tunnels can be horizontal or vertical,
  depending on where they are located.