1. Unit 2
Lithosphere
• Rocks and Minerals

2. OK – so here’s the real introduction to
Rocks & Minerals

3. What is a Mineral?
• Solid Earth Materials
• Naturally Occurring
• Inorganic
• Definite Chemical Formula
• Definite Crystal Structure

4. Minerals

5. ESRT Pg 16
Minerals can be
identified by
their chemical
and physical
properties.

6. Minerals Fist List
!
Fi ve!
High
What is
a
Mineral?

7. What does that mean?!?!?!
--Not a gas or a liquid
So
lid
--Has a definite ,E
shape and volume ar
th
Ma
ter
QUESTION? ial
Is oil a mineral??
Answer…
No, because it is a liquid.

8. Natural
What does that mean?!?!?!
ly O
--Not man-made
ccurring

9. ic
What does that mean?!?!?!
Inorgan
--Not formed from living
things or the remains of
living things
--NON-LIVING!!
EXAMPLES
1. Coal is NOT a mineral because it comes from plants.
2. Amber is NOT a mineral because it comes from tree sap.
3. A pearl is NOT a mineral because it comes from oysters.

10. What does that mean?!?!?!
ula
--The elements that make
orm
up the minerals are combined
lF
in definite proportions
ica
em
--Chemical formula can
Ch
be found on page 16 of
ESRT.
ite
EXAMPLES
-Gold (Au)
fin
De
-Pyrite (FeS²)
-Graphite (C)
-Diamond (C)

11. What does that mean?!?!?!
re
--Atoms are arranged tu
in a repeating pattern truc
a lS
--Each mineral has a y st
different INTERNAL Cr
ARRANGEMENT OF it e
fin
De
ATOMS that gives it
distinct physical and
chemical properties

12. What does that
mean?!?!?!
re
tu
QUESTION
truc
lS
How does the mineral graphite,
which is soft have the same s ta
chemical formula as diamond,
Cry
ite
which is the hardest mineral
fin
in the world?
De
ANSWER
Because their internal
arrangement of atoms are different

13. How are
Minerals
Identified??
Fill in the spiders
legs as we go!!

14. ESRT Pg 16
Minerals can be
identified by
their chemical
and physical
properties.

15. How are Minerals Identified??
Co
--Least useful for lo
r
identification
--One mineral can
come in many colors
EXAMPLE:
--Hematite: Comes in black, red and brown

16. How are Minerals Identified??
1. Some minerals are always the same color
Sulfur
2. Some minerals can have many colors
Rose Quartz Quartz
Smoky Quartz

17. Colors can vary as a result of…
A. Chemical Impurities– Cobalt compounds tend
to be pink, purple, or blue
Manganese—tends to produce
pink colors

18. Colors can vary as a result of…
B. Oxidation—exposure to air and water
changing the color of the mineral.
Ex. Rust
--Iron is the dominant coloring agent in
rocks and soils

19. How are Minerals Identified??
--the color of a
mineral when it is
finely powdered St
rea
--determined by k
rubbing the mineral
on a piece of tile
Hematite has a
reddish-brown streak.

20. How are Minerals Identified??
--describes how a
mineral appears to
reflect light
There are 2 Lus
t er
categories in
which a minerals
luster can fall…
Metallic OR Non-Metallic

21. How are Minerals Identified??
A. Metallic– reflects light like metal (shiny)
Graphite Galena
Pyrite

22. How are Minerals Identified??
B. Non-Metallic—any mineral which DOES
NOT exhibit shiny metallic characteristics
Ex. Quartz

23. Metallic or Non-Metallic??
Non-Metallic
Mica
Pearly luster
Metallic
Magnetite

24. Metallic or Non-Metallic??
Non-Metallic
Pyroxene
Dull luster

25. How are Minerals Identified??
--Resistance of a mineral
to being scratched
--Moh’s Hardness Scale
—compares the
hardness of the mineral Hardness
to 10 reference minerals.

26. How is Hardness Determined??
The scale consists of
Softest
number 1 through
10; 1 being the
softest and 10 being
the hardest. Each
number represents a
different mineral-
each harder than the
previous. The 10
Hardest minerals are to the
left.

27. How is Hardness Determined??
Several common household items have a
fixed hardness, and can be used to test for
hardness.
-Fingernail = 2.5
-Copper penny = 3-3.5
-Nail = 4.5
-Knife blade = 5.5
-Glass = 5.5
-Steel file = 6.5
-Streak plate = 7

28. What Determines Hardness?
--Hardness is determined by a minerals
internal arrangement of atoms.
Ex. Diamond vs. Graphite
-Diamond has hardness of 10 and graphite is ranked
between 1 and 2. Diamond is about 40 times harder
than graphite due to the way the atoms are arranged.
--Hardness is the best property to use to identify a
mineral.

29. How are Minerals Identified??
Cleavage—when a
mineral breaks
along a flat, smooth
vag e or surface
Clea re
F ractu

30. Examples of Minerals that show Cleavage
Mica exhibits basal
cleavage.
Galena exhibits cubic
cleavage.

32. What Determines Cleavage?
A minerals internal
arrangement of
atoms!!

33. How are Minerals Identified??
Fracture—When a mineral
breaks along irregular rough
surfaces.
e or
vag
Clea ure EX. Quartz
Fr act

34. How are Minerals Identified??
--The amount of matter in a
given space
(mass/volume)
Depends on…
r Heft
Density o -kind of atoms which
make up the mineral
-how the atoms are
arranged in the crystal
lattice

35. How are Minerals Identified??
--Minerals have a
characteristic crystal
shape resulting from
the atomic packing of
the atoms when the
Crystal Shape mineral is forming

36. How are Minerals Identified??
-Magnetism (Magnetite)
-Glowing under
ultraviolet light (Fluorite)
-Salty taste (Halite)
-Smell (Sulfur)
Spe
cial -Reaction to HCl
Pr ope (Calcite)
rtie
s

37. IMPORTANT!
• Remember on the Regent’s Exam most of
the information about the mineral in a
question will be given to you or you will
observe from the diagrams on the Exam.
Use them to your advantage. Make sure
you know the basics about mineral
identification and observe carefully…….
• USE PAGE 16 OF THE ESRT

38. How are rocks
formed?
Rocks are classified
by their process of
formation.

39. Lithosphere

40. ROCKS
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Igneous
sediments and
minerals are compacted
and cemented
With dissolved minerals
Clastic – pieces
Organic/Bioclastic
of other rocks
Chemical – Remains of plants
Cemented into
Evaporites Or animals which
rock
From seawater Are transformed
Into rock

41. pg 6 in your notes
Sedimentary Rocks
Form when
And
SEDIMENTS Minerals
Are cemented together
The 3 types of sedimentary rock are
Clastic Chemical Organic

42. Texture and Grain Size
• Texture is described based on grain
size, grain shape, and grain pattern.
• Most rocks are made up of tiny
particles of minerals or other rocks,
which are called grains.
• A rock’s grains give it its texture

43. Origins of Sedimentary Rock –
Draw an arrow from “CLASTIC”
•Through the process of
As the layers stack up,
weathering they become heavier until
the weight squeezes the
, rock is loosened and layers together during
carried away with wind and
water by compaction
.
erosion
Dissolved minerals act as
. The sediment then settles glue in a process known
out of the wind and water as .
during deposition. The
deposition Cementation
sediment begins to settle out
and form
layers
.

44. Earth Science Reference Table Page 7

45. • This is a sample of breccia, a coarse-grained
sedimentary rock with coarse, angular
fragments.

46. • This is a sample of sandstone, a sedimentary
rock that formed from sand grains.

47. Chemical
• Formed when minerals dissolved in
water, precipitate out and form crystals
on the sea floor – Includes evaporites.

48. Earth Science Reference Table Page 7

49. Organic (bioclastic) – rocks formed from
the remains of plants and/or animals
that undergoes a transformation into
rock.

50. • This is a sample of limestone, a sedimentary
rock made of calcium carbonate that formed
under water indirectly from the remains of tiny
marine organisms.

51. Coal Formation

52. Grand Canyon

53. Rocks
classified on the basis of their
formation
(how they are made)
Monomineralic Polymineralic
Ex: Granite
Composed EX: Composed
of 1 Limestone of many Feldspar,
mineral - Calcite minerals quartz,
hornblende

54. Igneous Rock
• Igneous rock forms
when magma or lava
Solidifies
COOLS Crystallizes
hardens

55. Crystallization

56. TEXTURE
Intrusive Extrusive
or Plutonic or Volcanic
Coarse Grained Fine Grained (small crystals)
large crystals Glassy
Non-Vesicular Gas Pockets (vesicular)
(no gas bubbles)
Magma LAVA
Underground Above ground
Slow cooling FAST cooling

57. Granite vs. Obsidian
Extrusive
Intrusive

58. Igneous Rock
Mineral Composition
Light Colored Dark Colored
Rocks Called Rocks Called
FELSIC MAFIC
Low density High Density
Rich in Aluminum Rich in IRON &
Magnesium

59. Igneous Rock chart found on page 6 of
Reference Tables
High light it in your ESRT!

60. Rock characteristics can be determined using this chart

61. Mineral content can also be determined using this chart
How to read it!
How to read it!

62. Metamorphic Rocks
Conditions that cause rocks to
undergo metamorphism include :
• Deep burial and pressure or
hot contact zones
• Metamorphic rocks are
often found in mountainous
regions
You’ll have to add this to your
notes on page 8

63. Metamorphic Rocks – formed when a rock
is changed by
Heat
Pressure
Chemical due Metamorphic rocks are
to Contact characterized by:
• Increased DENSITY
• NEW Minerals
• BANDING

64. Metamorphic Rocks
are classified by the
arrangement of their:
MINERALS

65. Into two types of metamorphic
rocks called:
Foliated and
Non -
Foliated
Where the minerals grains are
Where the minerals grains are
Squeezed and
Not aligned
curved or
and appear
folded
MASSIVE
Bottom of Page 7 of ESRT

66. Foliated (think
FOLD)
Mica Schist
Increased HEAT
and PRESSURE
Gneiss

67. Non-Foliated
• Massive
Metamorphic
rocks

68. Metamorphic Rock Chart (page 7 Earth Science
Reference Table

69. • Increasing metamorphic change occurs with increasing
temperatures and pressures.
• If the melting point is reached, the change is no longer
metamorphic, and igneous rocks are formed.

70. The Rock Cycle
(Page 6 of Earth Science Reference Table)
• The Rock
Cycle
describes the
continually
changing
structure of
rocks.

71. Distribution of Rocks in the U.S.