ESAY+4.1

= = =4.1 Properties of Minerals=

V **ocabulary**

 * 1.inorganic: -** Not formed from living things or the remains of living things
 * 2.crystal: -** a solid in which the atoms are arranged in patterns that repeats again and again
 * 3.element: -** A form of matter that cannot be broken down into simpler substances. Elements exist in nature as solids, liquids, or gases.
 * 4.compound: -** A pure and homogeneous substance consisting of atoms or ions of different elements in definite proportions, usually having properties unlike those of its constituent elements.
 * 5.Moh's hardness scale: -** 1-10 scale that tests the hardness of minerals
 * 6.streak: -** The color of a mineral in the powdered form.
 * 7.luster: -** Brightness and sheen of the rug fibers or yarns.
 * 8.Cleavage: -** A mineral which splits easily along flat surfaces.
 * 9.fracture** : - A way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way
 * 10.mineral : -**Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes.

Introduction

 * If you go to a museum, you might see a room called "Hall of minerals".
 * There you will see minerals or substances that you have never heard of.
 * I think that you also have never heard of "Sphalerite"

what is a mineral

 * Have you ever heard of Sphalerite and turquoise do there are just two more than 3,000 minerals which geologists have identified
 * Do you know that there are only 20 minerals that made up the earths crust.
 * These minerals that made up the earths crust are rock forming minerals.

Naturally occuring

 * A naturally occuring substance is known as a mineral.
 * Cement, brick, steel, and glass are not minerals because they are manufactured by plants.
 * Substances manufactured by people is not known as a mineral

Inorganic

 * It is not from livings things or remains of living things.
 * like coal forms naturally in the crust.
 * Plants manufacture coal so geologists do no classify coal as a mineral

Solid

 * A mineral with definite volume and shape is known as a solid
 * Substances that are solid are packed together so they cannot move

crystal strutcture

 * The partcles of mineral are line up in a pattern which repeats over and over again
 * With the help of a microscope the crystal structure of a mineral is visible.

Identifying minerals

 * Minerals which has their own properties help other people to identify that mineral.
 * Some minerals are like if see them you have the properties in your mind.
 * The color of the minerals also helps up to find information

Hardness

 * hardness is one of the best clues to find information
 * you can also use moh's hardness scale
 * Here it is
 * [[image:ronaldo_soccer.jpg caption="ronaldo_soccer.jpg"]]

Color

 * The most easy observing property is color
 * It can be used some times if it has a different color
 * No minerals looks like the same

Streak

 * The powder of the mineral is known as streak.
 * you can observe a mineral rubbing it with a streak-plate

Luster

 * luster is a simple test to identify a mineral
 * Minerals which has metals are shiny.

Density

 * Two mineral samples of about the same size can be compared together
 * we can also fell the density between low density-quartz and high density-Galena
 * Here is the picture of galena

crystal system

 * The crsystals of each mineral grows atom by atom.
 * Crystal system has six sides
 * Crystal which grow in a open space can be formed perfectly

Cleavage and Fracture

 * if the mineral breaks it can be easy to identify it
 * some minerals have a property called as cleavage which means that it splits easily
 * Most of the mineral do not split.