CK12 Earth Science

Lesson Summary

• For a substance to be a mineral, it must be a naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline
  solid that has a characteristic chemical composition and crystal structure.


• The atoms in minerals are arranged in regular, repeating patterns that can be used to
  identify a mineral.


• Minerals are divided into groups based on their chemical composition.

Review Questions

1. What is a crystal?


2. Which elements do all silicate minerals contain?


3. Obsidian is a glass that formed when lava cools so quickly that the atoms to not have a
   chancetoarrangethemselvesincrystals. Isobsidianacrystal? Explainyourreasoning.


4. What are the eight major mineral groups?


5. One mineral sample has a ratio of two iron atoms to three oxygen atoms. Another
   sample has a ratio of three iron atoms to four oxygen atoms. Explain whether the
   mineral samples are made of the same chemical compound.


6. How does the native elements mineral group differ from all of the other mineral groups?


7. You take a trip to the natural history museum with your friend. During your visit your
   friend sees two minerals that are similar in color. One mineral contains the elements
   zinc,carbon,andoxygen. Theothermineralcontainstheelementszinc,silicon,oxygen,
   and hydrogen. Your friend tells you that the minerals are in the same mineral group.
   Would you agree with your friend? Explain your reasoning.

Further Reading / Supplemental Links

• http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/K12/uses/uses.html


• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass


• http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~cchieh/cact/applychem/inorganic.html


• http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch10/carbon.php


• http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=451


• http://www.minsocam.org/msa/ima/ima98(04).pdf;n


• http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/misc/glossarymn.html


• http://geology.csupomona.edu/alert/mineral/minerals.htm


• http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Regents_EarthScience(High_School)#Rocksand
  Minerals


• http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/K12/crystals/crystal.html


• http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/K12/groups/groups.html


• http://webmineral.com/danaclass.shtml


• http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geophys/mineral.html#c1