1 / 16

Understanding Minerals: Definition and Characteristics

A mineral is defined as a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite crystalline structure. Key properties of minerals include being solid, forming in nature, and having a fixed chemical composition. While most minerals are compounds of two or more elements, some consist of just one element, such as gold (Au). To determine if a substance is a mineral, consider if it is non-living, solid, naturally formed, and exhibits a crystalline structure. Examples of minerals are quartz, talc, and diamonds, while non-minerals include wood and fossils.

nathan-serrano
Download Presentation

Understanding Minerals: Definition and Characteristics

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. What is a Mineral?

  2. What is a mineral? Properties: • Solid • Cannot be a liquid or a gas • Naturally Occurring • Found in nature, not man-made • Inorganic • Is not alive and never was, non-living • Fixed composition • Has a chemical formula, most are formed from compounds of two or more elements, some minerals consist of one element ex. Au • Crystal Form • A definite structure in which atoms are arranged

  3. What is a mineral? Definition: A mineral is a naturally formed, inorganic solid that has a definite crystalline structure.

  4. Questions to ask yourself when determining if an item is a mineral or not: • Is it non-living material? • Is it a solid? • Is it formed in nature? • Does it have a crystalline structure? The next few slides show an assortment of items. As a group, categorize the items as either: Minerals or Non-Minerals.

  5. Wood

  6. Gold

  7. Fossil

  8. Topaz

  9. Bones

  10. Granite

  11. Quartz

  12. Pearls

  13. Talc

  14. Icebergs

  15. Diamond

  16. And the answers are… • Minerals • Gold • Topaz • Quartz • Talc • Iceberg* • Diamonds • Non-Minerals • Wood - once living • Fossils – once living • Bone - living material • Granite - intrusive igneous rock • Pearls – made by oysters According to IMA – ice is listed as a mineral

More Related