Department of Education

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CITY OF MEYCAUAYAN

Pag-asa St., Malhacan, City of Meycauayan, Bulacan

3
Activity Sheet 11
in
Earth & Life Science
Quarter 3 – Week 3
Minerals and Rocks
 MINERALS AND ROCKS

LET US KNOW

As we deal with earth materials and processes, it is essential for you

to know and understand the materials that make up the Earth’s crust. The
rocks that make up the Earth and the minerals that compose them have
significant effects on our lives.

In this activity sheet, you will learn about the physical and chemical
properties of minerals, identify some rock-forming minerals and classify and
describe the three basic rock types.

Learning Competencies:

• You should be able to Identify common rock-forming minerals using

their physical and chemical properties (S11/12ES-Ia-9) and classify
rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic (S11/12ES-Ib-10)

LET US REVIEW

Identify whether the given material is a mineral or not. Write YES if the
substance is a mineral, and NO if not.

_____1. Copper _____6. Plastic

_____2. Wood _____7. Salt
_____3. Water _____8. Sugar
_____4. Tube Ice _____9. Gold
_____5. Snowflake _____10. Coal

LET US STUDY

What is a Mineral?

A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic substance that is solid

with orderly crystalline structure and has a fixed (or uniformly variable)
chemical composition. It is composed of an ordered arrangement of atoms
chemically bonded together to form a particular crystalline structure. This
orderly arrangement is reflected in the regularly shaped objects called
crystals. For example Graphite and Diamond which are both made of carbon.
But why are they so different? It is because graphite has widely spaced and
loosely bound carbon atoms while diamond has carbon atoms that are packed
together with strong bonds between atoms. This only means different
structural arrangements of the same element can produce different minerals
with different properties or polymorphism. A mineral's chemical and
crystalline nature gives it properties that make it useful.

MINERAL PROPERTIES

Physical Properties

These properties are useful when working in the field, where there is
usually no easy access to complex analytical techniques. Useful physical
properties to identify a mineral include luster, hardness, crystal form/habit,
color, streak, diaphaneity, cleavage, fracture, specific gravity, and tenacity.

1. Luster is the quality and intensity of reflected light exhibited by the

mineral. It could either be Metallic (generally opaque and exhibit a
resplendent shine similar to a polished metal) or Non-metallic [vitreous
(glassy), adamantine (brilliant/diamond-like), resinous, silky, pearly,
dull (earthy), greasy, among others.]
2. Hardness is a measure of the resistance of a mineral (not specifically
surface) to abrasion. The Mohs Scale of Hardness measures the
scratch resistance of various minerals from a scale of 1 to 10, based on
the ability of a harder material/mineral to scratch a softer one.
3. Crystal Form/Habit refers to the growth crystal pattern of a mineral
as single or aggregated.
4. Color – A lot of minerals can exhibit same or similar colors. Individual
minerals can also display a variety of colors resulting from impurities
and also from some geologic processes like weathering. Examples of
coloring: quartz can be pink (rose quartz), purple (amethyst), orange
(citrine), white (colorless quartz) etc.
5. Streak is the mineral’s color in powdered form. It is inherent in almost
every mineral, and is a more diagnostic property compared to color.
Color of a mineral can be different from its streak for examples pyrite
(FeS2) exhibits gold color but has a black or dark gray streak.
6. Diaphaneity refers to the mineral’s ability to transmit light. Minerals
that transmit light with freely through them relatively without
distortion are transparent. Minerals that transmit light with distortion
are referred to as translucent, whereas, minerals that do not transmit
light are called opaque.
7. Cleavage refers to the tendency of many minerals to split or separate
easily along planes of weak bonding. Minerals that possess cleavage can
 be identified by the distinctive flat, smooth surfaces that are produced
when the mineral is broken.
8. Fractures refers to the tendency of minerals to break other than along
planes of weakness. Those that break into smooth, curved surfaces
resembling broken glass have conchoidal fracture.
9. Specific Gravity the ratio of the density of the mineral and the density
of water.
10. Tenacity refers to a mineral’s resistance to breaking, crushing, bending
or tearing.

Chemical Properties

These properties of minerals depend on their chemical formula and

crystal structure. Solubility and melting point are chemical properties
commonly used to describe a mineral.

1. Solubility refers the ability of a substance to dissolve in a solvent at a

specified temperature. For example, biotite, a mineral commonly found
in igneous rocks, is soluble in both acid and base solutions. The
dissolution releases the loosely-bound potassium ions in the mineral.
2. Melting point refers to the temperature at which solid turns into liquid.
Minerals composed of atoms that are tightly bonded within the crystal
structure have high melting points. For example, quartz melts above
1670°C.

COMMON ROCK-FORMING MINERALS

There are over 3000 minerals known. Some are rare and precious such
as gold and diamond, while others are more ordinary, such as quartz.

• Quartz has a chemical composition of SiO2. It is a glassy-looking hard

substance with white streaks. Despite its hardness, with a Mohs
hardness of 7, it is quite brittle. Pure quartz is clear and transparent.
Colored varieties of quartz are due to elemental impurities built into its
lattice. The grains of quartz, in general, are irregular in shape.
• Feldspar (A potassium aluminum silicate, sometimes with considerable
sodium KAlSi3O8). Formed in many colors from white to brown, is
vitreous and streaks white. Has a hardness of 6 to 6.5, cleavage is good
in two directions with a specific gravity of 2.5 to 2.6. The most abundant
mineral on earth and is very common in igneous rocks.
• Olivine, (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 a mineral group of magnesium iron silicate. It is
olive-green to yellowish, transparent to translucent with a hardness of
6.5 to 7, specific gravity of 3.27 to 4.20, has a luster that is vitreous,
streaks white or gray and an indistinct cleavage). A highly refractory
mineral, which means it, does not change or melt at high temperatures.
 It is used in applications requiring high temperatures such as the
firebricks, which line furnaces. Transparent olivine of good color can be
cut into gemstones (peridot).
• Amphibole has a dark color with a Mohs hardness ranging from 5 to 6.
Hornblende is the most common amphibole. It has a glassy luster and
an opaque characteristic. Its crystals are very long and very thin.
• Mica is any group of hydrous potassium aluminum silicate minerals.
The most common examples are clear muscovite and black biotite. Mica
is soft, with Mohs hardness ranging from 2 to 2.5. It is easily identified
by its perfect cleavage, reducing it to thin smooth flakes. Its shine is
responsible for the flashes of light in rocks such as granite and slate.
• Pyroxene minerals have a general composition of XY(Al,Si)2O6 where
X is Ca or Mg and Y is either Mg, Fe, Al. Augite is the most common of
this group. It has a glassy luster with streaks of white, light green, or
light brown. It is generally black in color and has stubby prismatic
crystals. Its key feature is its two cleavages at around 90°.

What are Rocks?

Rocks are aggregate

of minerals. It can be
composed of single
mineral (e.g. Quartzite, a
metamorphic rock
composed predominantly
of Quartz) or more
commonly, as an
aggregate of two or more
minerals. It is classified
by the way in which they
form. The three rock types
are: igneous, sedimentary
and metamorphic.

All rocks on Earth

are locked into a system of
cycling and re-cycling
known as the Rock Cycle. Fig. 1: Rock Cycle. Image from SFCollege.edu

‘
TYPES OF ROCKS

1. Igneous rocks are “born of fire” and forms when molten hot material
cools and solidifies. It may form deep inside the Earth (called intrusive)
or at the Earth’s surface when a volcano erupts (called extrusive).
2. Sedimentary rocks are composed of particles derived from pre-existing
rocks (called fragmental or clastic) or by the crystallization of minerals
that were held in solutions (called chemical).
3. Metamorphic rocks have changed (meta) their form (morphic). Under
the influence of heat, pressure and fluids, pre-existing rocks are
modified in form and even in internal atomic structure to produce new
rocks stable at the new conditions. Changes that occur include
increase in grain size, new minerals and foliation (parallel alignments).
Metamorphic rocks that exhibit parallel alignments of minerals are
called foliated, and those that do not exbihit are called non-foliated.

LET US PRACTICE

IDENTIFYING MINERALS
(Modified from Earth and Life Science Teaching Guide)

Materials:
• Table Salt
• Baby powder
• Pencil lead
Procedure:
1. Begin by identifying the luster of the materials, its ability to scratch
glass, and if it exhibits cleavage/fracture. Put a check (⁄) for the
appropriate properties in the following table:
Does it scratch
Luster
Minerals at glass?
Cleavage Fracture
home Non-
Metallic YES NO
metallic
Table Salt
Baby Powder
Pencil lead
 2. Use Mineral Decision Tree below to narrow down the mineral choices
into groups A to F. (Mineral Decision Tree and Mineral Chart from https:
//gln.dcccd.edu/Geology_Demo/content/LAB03/LAB_Man_03.pdf)

MINERALS AT HOME GROUP

Table Salt
Baby Powder
Pencil lead

3. After identifying the Group that the above minerals belong to, look for
the specific mineral content of the materials in the mineral
identification charts (see appendix section)
4. Write down the physical and chemical properties of each material
below:

TABLE SALT BABY POWDER PENCIL LEAD

Mineral Name
Luster
Hardness no.
Cleavage
Streak
Specific Gravity
Diaphaneity
Other Properties
 LET US REMEMBER

✓ A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic substance that is solid

with orderly crystalline structure and has a fixed (or uniformly variable)
chemical composition.
✓ Physical Properties of mineral include luster, hardness, crystal
form/habit, color, streak, diaphaneity, cleavage, fracture, specific
gravity, and tenacity. Commonly used chemical properties include
solubility and melting point.
✓ Some common rock-forming minerals are quartz, feldspar, olivine,
amphibole, mica, pyroxene
✓ Rocks are aggregate of minerals. It is classified by the way in which they
form.
✓ The three rock types are: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
✓ Igneous rocks are formed when molten hot material cools and solidifies.
Types are intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks.
✓ Sedimentary rocks are formed from pieces of other existing rock or
organic material. Types are clastic or non-clastic sedimentary rocks.
✓ Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have been changed from their
original form by immense heat or pressure. Types are foliated and non-
foliated metamorphic rocks.

LET US APPRECIATE

MAKE YOUR OWN TOOTH PASTE

(Modified from Women in Mining Education Foundation’s “toothpaste with a twist”, 2014)
Some products that are part of our everyday lives (e.g. toothpaste) are
usually manufactured directly from minerals or use materials that were made
out of minerals. In this activity, you will make your own “marketable”
toothpaste which contains abrasive and cleansing compounds such as
calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate which are both minerals.
Materials:
• Food grade Calcium • Measuring Spoons
carbonate (CaCO3) • Stirrer
• Baking soda/Sodium • Food color and flavoring
bicarbonate (NaHCO3) (your choice)
• Water • Dropper
• Small cups
(Optional items you may add: Sugar, or other sweetener, Food grade
Diatomite)
Procedure:
1. Mix 1/2 teaspoon food grade calcium carbonate & 1/4 teaspoon sodium
bicarbonate in a small plastic cup.
2. Add just enough water (you may use dropper) to make a paste.
3. Taste the paste and think of possible ways to improve the physical
appearance and taste of the toothpaste to make it “marketable”.
(Reminder: Do not use ingredients that are not edible or not for human
consumptions)
4. Continue by adding small amounts of color and flavoring (since the
amount of paste is quite small). Amount will depend on how much you
think is needed to make your paste look and taste reasonable for
consumers to avail your product.
5. Keep a record of your recipe and submit it with the sample.

RECORD SHEET
Product Name ____________________ Date conducted: _________________
Basic Recipe:
• 1/2 tsp. calcium carbonate
• 1/4 tsp. sodium bicarbonate
• Water
Added Ingredients:
INGREDIENTS AMOUNT
Flavoring
Color

Guide questions:
1. Compare your homemade toothpaste to commercially available
toothpaste. Which is better and why?
2. What mineral is added to toothpaste to fight cavities?
3. What mineral is in Calcium carbonate?
4. What mineral is in Baking soda?
5. What have you learned from this activity?
 LET US PRACTICE MORE

CONCEPT MAPPING
Direction: Fill out the flowchart by placing the words/phrases in their proper
location. Choose the words/phrases from table below:
Intrusive Non-foliated Sedimentary
Clastic Fine Cooling lava
Coarse Extrusive Rocks
Inorganic land-derived Non-clastic Metamorphic
Igneous Cooling magma Chemically formed
Cooling & solidification of
Parallel alignments building blocks of
lava or magma
Minerals Compaction and temperature and pressure
Foliated cementation of sediments change.

forms from forms from forms due to

which forms from exhibits

usually appears

which forms from

usually appears
 EVALUATION
Direction: Write the letter of the best answer on the space provided before each
number.

____1. Which of the following pertains to the color of the mineral in its powdered form?
A. Color C. Luster
B. Hardness D. Streak
____2. Which of the following shows chemical property of a mineral?
A. quartz melts above 16700C
B. Diamond is the hardest mineral.
C. Pure quartz has is clear and transparent.
D. Olivine is green in color and granular in appearance.
____3. Which of the following choices is the best reason why it is important to determine the
physical and chemical properties of minerals?
A. To produce new minerals
B. To predict the form and size of the minerals
C. To determine the crystal structure of the minerals
D. To identify the best mineral that will be used for different products
____4. Which of the following processes is involved in the formation of metamorphic rock?
A. heat and pressure C. the cooling of magma
B. the melting of rocks D. the compaction of sediments
____5. Which of the following statement is true about rocks?
A. Mixture of coal and water. B. Coal is not considered a rock.
C. Rocks do not contain mineral. D. Most rocks are a mixture of mineral.
____6. Which of the following represents the correct order of the processes responsible for the
formation of sedimentary rocks?
A. Erosion, weathering, compaction, cementation, deposition
B. Compaction, cementation, deposition, weathering, erosion
C. Deposition, cementation, compaction, erosion, weathering
D. Weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction, cementation
____7. A student obtains a cup of quartz sand from a beach. A saltwater solution is poured
into the sand and allowed to evaporate. The mineral residue from the salt water solution
cements the sand grains together, formed a new material. Which of the following types of
rocks will be produced?
A. Extrusive igneous rock C. Metamorphic rock
B. Intrusive igneous rock D. Sedimentary rock
____8. Which of the following described the formation of igneous rock?
A. Meteorites that fell to Earth.
B. Crystals left behind when water evaporated.
C. Melted rock material that cooled and hardened.
D. Layers of sediment that were squeezed together.
____9. Which of the following is not an example of mineral?

A. Snowflake C. Salt
B. Water D. Gold

____10. Which of the following describe/s a mineral?

I. Naturally occurring/not man-made II. Organic/byproduct of living thins

III. Definite chemical composition IV. Solid
A. I, II, and III C. I, III, and IV
B. I, II, III and IV D. I, II and IV

xi
 4
Activity Sheet
in
Earth & Life Science
Quarter 3 – Week 3.1
Erosion and Deposition
 EROSION AND DEPOSITION

LET US KNOW

Earth’s surface is continuously changing in its own natural ways. Rocks

may be disintegrated and decomposed, moved to lower elevation and the
fragments may be carried away by wind, water, or ice. All of which works to
reshape the Earth. Weathering, erosion and deposition are some of the
processes that act together to build up the Earth’s surface. It never stops and
always occurring naturally throughout the world.

In this activity sheet, you will identify agents of erosion and deposition
and explain how products of weathering are carried away by these processes.

Learning Competency:

• You should be able to explain how the products of weathering are

carried away by erosion and deposited elsewhere (S11/12ES-Ib-12)

LET US REVIEW

Complete the table. Identify the following images and supply the needed
information.
TYPE PROCESSES/
IMAGES (Physical/ AGENTS OF DESCRIPTION
Chemical) WEATHERING

Source: http://msascienceonline.
weebly.com/weathering-erosion-
-deposition.html
Source:https://www.earthonlinemedia
.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/eolian_systems/
features_wind_erosion.html

Source: https://geographyclassroom
2014.weebly.com/weathering.html

Source: https://www.geocaching.com
/geocache/GC66JKC_you-crack-me-
up?guid=9904a2db-baca-4741-9b52-
ecef30369cb7

Source: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=QIxYYKeZdaI

3
 LET US STUDY

WEATHERING

Weathering is the process at or near Earth’s surface that cause rocks and
minerals to break down. It has two types: (1) Physical and (2) Chemical
weathering.

1. Physical Weathering - processes that break a rock or mineral into

smaller pieces without altering its composition. This includes frost
wedging, salt crystal growth, abrasion by wind, water or gravity and
biological activity.
2. Chemical Weathering - processes that change the chemical composition
of rocks and minerals. This includes dissolution, oxidation and
hydrolysis.

Factors that affect the type, extent, and rate at which weathering takes place
include climate, rock type, rock structure, topography and time.

EROSION

Weathered materials or sediment begin to move by wind, water, ice, or

even animals. When these smaller pieces, begin to move by natural forces, it
is called erosion (Clarendon Learning, n.d.). Erosion is the incorporation and
transportation of material by a mobile agent such as water, wind, or ice.

Types of Erosion

• Water erosion is a type of erosion where the water carries the sediments
to different parts of the bodies of water such as rivers, floods, lakes, and
the ocean. Liquid water is the major agent of erosion on Earth.
• Wind erosion happens when light materials are carried by wind to
different places.
• Glacial erosion happens when ice, usually in the form of glaciers, erode
the earth materials creating dramatic landforms. Glaciers move slowly
downhill and across the land transporting everything in their path.
• Soil erosion happens when the top soil is removed and leaves the soil
infertile. This is caused by wind or flood in an area.
• Other forces of erosion (National Geographic Society, 2012)
▪ Thermal erosion describes the erosion of permafrost along a
river or coastline. Warm temperatures can cause ice-rich
permafrost to break off coastlines in huge chunks, often
carrying valuable topsoil and vegetation with them.
 ▪ Mass wasting describes the downward movement of rocks,
soil, and vegetation. Mass wasting incidents include
landslides, rockslides, and avalanches. Mass wasting can
erode and transport huge amounts of earth.

DEPOSITION

Once the movement of sediments reach their final (or temporary)

destination, it is called deposition. It is the laying down of sediment carried
by wind, water, ice or other causes of erosion. The sediment may be deposited
at mouths of rivers, the bases of mountains, and many other places.
Depositional environment can be continental (streams, swamps, caves, and
deserts), coastal (lagoons, estuaries, and deltas), or marine (slopes and bottom
of the ocean or abyssal zone) (Weathering and Erosion, n.d.).

LET US PRACTICE

Identify whether the following scenarios are form of either weathering,

erosion or deposition. Write your answers in the table below:
1. Rain washing away soil from a hillside
2. A mudslide flowing down a steep hill
3. Layers of sediment forming at the bottom of the ocean.
4. Waves dropping sand on the beach
5. Caves being formed by acid rain dissolving
underground limestone
6. Water getting into crakcs, freezing, anf breaking rocks
apart
7. Wind blowing sand from one location to another
8. Flood waters moving soil form one location to another
9. Wind blasting sand at rock and carving out arches
10. Muddy water being carried away by a fast-moving
river.

LET US REMEMBER

WEATHERING

DEPOSITION EROSION

5
 ✓ Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks into smaller pieces
called sediments.
✓ Erosion is the transportation of weathered rocks.
✓ Deposition is the laying down of sediments to its depositional
environment or creating new land forms with those pieces.

LET US APPRECIATE

Philippines is located along the typhoon belt in the pacific. We are prone
to this kind of national disaster and whenever our country is being hit by this,
the government always reminds us, especially those who reside near the
slopes or low-lying areas, to evacuate as soon as possible. After learning and
understanding the different types of erosion, especially soil erosion, what do
you think you could possibly suggest to the government to minimize
devastating effects of this erosion? Explain briefly and clearly.

LET US PRACTICE MORE

COMIC STRIP

Make a comic strip (preferably hand drawn) using rock as the main
character (you may add other characters if necessary), showing process of
weathering, erosion, and deposition. You can make a creative story out of it
but be sure to clearly show the exogenic processes involved. Include written
explanation of how your plot showed relationships of weathering, erosion and
deposition.

Rubric for Comic Strip

4 3 2 1
Drawing and
Drawings
captions
and captions
showed an Drawings Drawings
showed good
exceptional and captions and captions
deal of
Creativity degree of showed just showed little
creativity;
creativity; enough to no
good
great creativity. creativity.
attention to
attention to
detail.
detail
Comic has
Number of Comic has at Comic has 5 Comic has 3
less than 3
panels least 6 panels. panels. panels.
panels.
 Almost all
All but 1 All but 2
All panels are panels are
panel is panels are
Theme related to the not related
related to the related to the
theme. to the
theme. theme.
theme.
Main Main
Main
character/s character/s
character/s
are clearly are identified Hard to tell
Character are clearly
identified; but not well who is/are
and identified;
actions and developed; the main
Dialogue actions and
dialogue are actions and charater/s
dialogue are
match most dialogue are
well-matched.
of the time. too general.
Landscape is
Landscape is
directly
Landscape is Landscape is randomly
related to the
directly generally chosen
Landscape theme and
related to the related to the and/or
enhance
theme. theme distract the
understanding
reader.
of the scene.

EVALUATION

Direction: Write the letter of the best answer on the space provided before each
number.
_____1. Which of the following describe the process of breaking down rocks?
A. erosion C. oxidation
B. frost wedging D. weathering

_____2. What are the two factors that determine the rate of weathering?
A. Rock type and climate
B. Climate and rock length
C. Rock Type and rock length
D. Rock thickness and rock type

_____3. Certain minerals within certain rocks absorb water. As they absorb
water the rock expands and this can exert pressure. Over many years, this
can lead to weathering of rocks. Which of the following type of weathering is
described in the given scenario?
A. Carbonation C. Hydration
B. Chelation D. Frost Wedging

7
_____4. Which of the following human activities has resulted in increased
rates of weathering?
A. The release of sulfur and nitrogen that cause acid rain
B. The physical disintegration of rocks during construction and
mining
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B

_____5. Which of the following are all examples of physical weathering?

A. Ice wedging, acid rain, animals, plants roots
B. Lichens, animal, plant roots, ice wedging
C. Abrasion, plant roots, animals, carbonic acid
D. Abrasion, animals, ice wedging, plant roots

______6. Which is an example of erosion?

A. a water slide
B. a garden in the backyard
C. a newly planted plant
D. formation of the Grand Canyon

______7. Which of these are put in the correct order?

A. deposition, erosion, weathering
B. weathering, erosion, deposition
C. erosion, deposition, weathering
D. weathering, deposition, erosion

______8. Which situation will likely happen when weathering and erosion
work together?
A. New mountains are formed
B. Metal pieces becomes rusty
C. The climate changes over time
D. They change the earth’s surface

______9. What happens when glaciers slowly move down a mountain?

A. Nothing happens
B. The glaciers melt and freeze
C. The glaciers melt and form giant lake
D. The glaciers cause erosion by taking sediment and moving it
somewhere else.

______10. The following are erosional landforms except

A. Deltas C. Meanders
B. Potholes D. Terraces