Lecture 2

MATERIALS OF THE EARTH

CRUST
Chemical composition
Rock-Forming Minerals
L2 Objectives and Outcomes:
At the end of this lecture, students will be
able to differentiate between rocks and
minerals.
Able to recognize minerals base on their
physical properties such as hardness,
cleavage, color etc.
Relative abundance of the most common elements
on Earths crust
Two representations of the silicon oxygen tetrahedron A. The four
large spheres represent oxygen atoms and the blue sphere
represents a silicon atom, the spheres are drawn in proportion to
the radii of the atoms. B. A model of the tetrahedron using rods to
depict the bonds that connect the atoms
Common
Silicate
minerals. Note
that the
complexity
silicate structure
increases down
the chart
Silicate structure
Minerals and Rocks
Minerals are solid crystals
The atoms are arranged in order
Definite chemical composition
Inorganic
Minerals are the building blocks of rocks
include rare gems and common minerals
Properties of minerals
Solubility e.g Halite,Sylvite and Gypsum
Hardness
Cleavage: basal, prismatic, cubic,
rhombohedral or octahedral
Streak colour
Density
Optical properties
Oxides
Sulfides
Sulfates
Halides
Common nonsilicate mineral groups
Rock aggregates of one or more minerals
Mohs scale of mineral hardness
Crystal form is the external expression of a mineral's orderly internal structure,
A. Pyrite commonly known as "fool's gold" often forms cubic
crystals that may contain parallel lines called striations. (Photo by
GeoScience/PH) B. Quartz sample that exhibits well-developed hexagonal (six-
sided) crystals with pyramidal-shaped ends. (Photo by Breck P. Kent)
Sheet type. cleavage common to the micas. (Photo by
Chip Clark)
Conchoidal fracture. The smooth curved surfaces result When minerals
break in a glasslike manner. (Photo by E. 1. Tarbuck)
Smooth surfaces produced when a mineral with cleavage is broken. The sample
on the left (flourite) exhibits four planes of cleavage (eight sides), whereas the
other two samples exhibit three planes of cleavage (six sides). Also notice that the
mineral in the center (halite) has cleavage planes that meet at 90-degree angles,
whereas the mineral on the right (calcite) has cleavage planes that meet at 75-
degree angles. (Photo by GeoScience/PH)
Some common rock-forming minerals. Silicate minerals are common
constituent of igneous rock, while the nonsilicates along with quartz and
clay are prominent minerals in many sedimentary rocks
Thick beds of halite (salt) are being drilled at an underground mine near Grand
Saline, Texas (Courtesy of Morton International Inc. Chicago, IL 60606)
Uses of nonmetallic materials