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5: Minerals

  • Page ID
    29088
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    Learning Objectives
    • List the criteria required for a substance to be considered a mineral.
    • Explain how atoms bond within minerals.
    • Explain how mineral lattices influence the properties of minerals.
    • Summarize the categories of minerals defined by anions or anionic groups.
    • Describe the types of configurations of silica tetrahedra found in silicate minerals.
    • Explain how minerals form.
    • Describe the key properties for identifying minerals.

    • 5.1: Atoms
      This page provides an overview of atomic structure, detailing the roles of protons, neutrons, and electrons. It explains that protons determine the element's identity and atomic number, while isotopes differ in neutron count. The electron arrangement influences bonding, with noble gases being inert due to full shells.
    • 5.2: Bonding and Lattices
      This page explains the formation of chemical bonds—ionic and covalent—through which atoms achieve full outer electron shells, influencing mineral properties. Ionic bonding involves electron transfer (e.g., sodium and chlorine), while covalent bonding involves electron sharing (e.g., in Cl2 and diamonds). Additionally, it touches on weaker Van der Waals and hydrogen bonds in graphite, as well as metallic bonds, which allow free-moving electrons, granting metals their conductivity and malleability.
    • 5.3: Mineral Groups
      This page discusses the classification of minerals based on their anions, which influence their properties. It identifies the most prevalent category, silicates, and outlines other groups such as oxides, sulfides, sulfates, halides, carbonates, phosphates, and native elements. Recognizing these classifications facilitates the identification of minerals through their formulas and anionic content.
    • 5.4: Silicate Minerals
      This page explores the significance of silicate tetrahedra as essential components of minerals in the Earth's crust and mantle, detailing their diverse configurations and impact on mineral properties. It further examines the feldspar group, including potassium feldspar, albite, and anorthite, and their relationships represented in a ternary diagram.
    • 5.5: How Minerals Form
      This page discusses the essential factors for mineral crystal growth, including the right elements, conditions like temperature and pressure, and time for lattice formation. It explains that minerals typically crystallize from cooling magma, with cooling rate affecting crystal size. Other formation methods include precipitation, metamorphism, and organic processes. The text also mentions human impact on mineral formation, highlighting sulfur mining at Ijen Crater.
    • 5.6: Mineral Properties
      This page covers the consistent properties of minerals across planets, aiding in their geological identification during exploration. Key features include color, streak, lustre, hardness (using Mohs scale), crystal habit, and cleavage/fracture. It details how minerals cleave along planes or break irregularly, influenced by atomic structures, with examples like graphite and mica.
    • 5.7: Chapter 5 Summary and Key Term Check
      This page explores minerals, defining them as naturally occurring solids with specific chemical formulas. It details atomic structure, bonding types, and their impact on mineral properties and lattice arrangements. Minerals are classified by anion compositions, highlighting silicates as the most common. Additionally, it covers mineral formation through geological processes and key identification properties like hardness and color.


    This page titled 5: Minerals is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Allison Jones via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.