What is a Mineral

What is a Mineral?

Rock = collection of minerals + other stuff

Naturally occurring

Inorganic: No Hydrocarbons

Systematic atomic ordering: Crystalline

Chemical Bonding: the Electron Story

Lose, gain, or share electrons

Stability with 2, 10, 18, 36 electrons

Ionic vs. covalent bonding

Mineral Classification

By major chemical group

Mineral abundance = crustal element abundance (O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, K)

Carbonates - CO₃^2-complex

Oxides

Sulfides and Sulfates

Silicates

Independent tetrahedra (e.g. olivine)

Single chains (e.g. pyroxene)

Double chains (e.g.. amphibole)

Sheets (e.g. mica)

Framework (e.g.. feldspar, quartz)

Mineral Names

Famous mineralogists and people (jimthompsonite; armalcolite)

Localities (vesuvianite)

Properties (magnetite)

Chemistry (fluorite)

How Minerals are Studied

Macro physical properties

Electron Microprobe = chemical composition

X-ray diffraction = how atoms are arranged

Polarized light = electron density and arrangement

Green light 500 x 10^-9 m

Oxygen 0.14 x 10^-9 m

X-ray 0.15 x 10^-9 m