A. Any Substance That Meets the Following

Minerals

Q. What is a mineral

A. Any substance that meets the following:

1. Must be a solid

2. Must be inorganic

3. Must be naturally occurring

4. Must have a definite chemical composition (chemical formula) Facts  there are more than 2,000 kinds of minerals, but fewer than 20 are common minerals that form rock  10 minerals make up 90% of the earth’s crust Ex. Quartz, feldspar, mica, calcite

Two Main Groups 1) Silicates –they contain atoms of silicon (Si) and oxygen. Forms a tetrahedron (see drawing) Many contain one or more kind of atom Ex. Feldspar – silicon and oxygen with (K) – potassium

*96% of the crust is made of silicates

2) Non-silicates – six group A. Native elements – One type of atom

EX. Gold -Au B. Halides – K, Na, or Ca – cation with a Cl or F – anion

EX. Halite NaCl

C. Sulfides - contains S atom

EX. Pyrite FeS2 D. Carbonates – contains CO3 as part of the compound

EX. Calcite CaCO3

E. Sulfates – contains SO4 as part of the compound Gypsum – CaSO4 F. Oxides - contains O atom except for silicates, carbonates, and sulfates

EX. Hematite Fe2O3