Name: _______________________________ Year & Section: _______________

Subject: ______________________________ Day and Time: ________________

Type of Activity: Concept Notes / Drills/Exercise/Skills Others

Activity Title: Rock-forming Minerals
Learning Targets: Identify common rock-forming minerals using their physical and chemical
properties..
References: https://geologyglasgow.org.uk/minerals-rocks-fossils/rock-forming-minerals/
https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/?x_api_client_id=bookmark&x_api_client_location=Reader

Rocks are composed of minerals. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance which is usually
solid, crystalline, stable at room temperature and inorganic.
There are almost 5000 known mineral species, yet most rocks are formed from combinations of a
few common minerals, referred to as “rock-forming minerals”. The rock-forming minerals are
feldspars, quartz, amphiboles, micas, olivine, garnet, calcite, pyroxenes.
Minerals occurring within a rock in small quantities are referred to as “accessory minerals”.
Although accessory minerals are present in only small amounts, they may provide valuable insight
into the geological history of a rock and are often used to ascertain the age of a rock. Common
accessory minerals are zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, tourmaline, pyrite and other opaques.
The abundance and diversity of minerals depend on the abundance in the Earth’s crust of the
elements of which they are composed. Eight elements make up 98% of the Earth’s crust: oxygen,
silicon, aluminum, iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium. The composition of minerals
formed by igneous processes is directly controlled by the chemistry of the parent body. For
example, a magma rich in iron and magnesium will form minerals such as olivine and pyroxene (as
found in basalt). Magma richer in silicon will form more silica-rich minerals such as feldspar and
quartz (as found in granite). It is unlikely that a mineral will be found in a rock with dissimilar bulk
chemistry unlike its own; thus, it is unlikely that andalusite (Al2SiO5) would be found in an
aluminum-poor rock such as a quartzite.

Physical properties of minerals

Some minerals are easily identifiable; others can only be recognized only using a petrographic
microscope or by complex analytical techniques. The following criteria are used to differentiate
minerals in hand sample. Most minerals cannot be identified from one particular property, and so it
is advisable to use several of the diagnostic criteria outlined below. A hand lens will assist you
greatly.
Color
Color is one of the most obvious characteristic of a mineral, but generally not the most useful
diagnostic feature. Depending on impurities, individual mineral types may come in a vast variety of
colors. For example, ruby and sapphire are differently colored types of the mineral corundum
(Al2O3). The red color of ruby is due to the presence of the element chromium. Sapphires may come
is a vast variety of colors; blue is the most familiar color, but yellow, orange, green, pink, orange and
brown varieties are also known. Garnets may also come in a large range of colors, depending on
their composition. They can be found with virtually any color, although blue garnets are
exceptionally rare. It is therefore advisable not to rely on color alone to identify a mineral.
Crystal habit
Crystal habit refers to the characteristic shape of a mineral unit (either an individual crystal or an
aggregate of crystals). Crystals with well-developed faces are referred to as “euhedral”; for
example, garnet crystals are often euhedral. Minerals may also occur as aggregates of crystals; for
example, asbestos is usually found as an aggregate of very fine fibers. The following list gives
examples of different crystal habits and examples of common minerals that may exhibit each habit.
Acicular – needle-like, e.g. natrolite, rutile
Bladed – blade-like, slender and flattened, e.g. kyanite
Botryoidal – grape-like masses, e.g. hematite, malachite
Columnar – long, slender prisms, e.g. calcite, gypsum
Cubic – cube-shaped, e.g. pyrite, galena, halite
Dendritic – tree-like, branching in multiple directions, e.g. pyrolusite, native copper, native silver
Fibrous – very slender prisms, e.g. asbestos, tremolite
Granular – aggregates of crystals, e.g. bornite, scheelite
Hexagonal – six-sided, e.g. quartz, hank site
Massive – no distinct shape, e.g. turquoise, realgar
Octahedral– eight-sided, e.g. diamond, magnetite
Platy – flat, tablet shape, e.g. wulfenite
Prismatic – elongate, prism like, e.g. tourmaline, beryl
Radial or stellate – radiating outwards from a central point, star-like, e.g. wavellite, pyrophyllite
Hardness
Hardness is a measure of how resistant a mineral is to scratching. This physical property is
controlled by the chemical composition and structure of the mineral. Hardness is commonly
measured on the Mohs scale. This is defined by ten minerals, where each mineral can scratch those
with a lower scale number. Diamond (hardness 10) can scratch everything below it on the Mohs
scale, but cannot itself be scratched, whereas quartz (hardness 5) can scratch calcite (hardness 3)
but not corundum (hardness 9). Streak
The streak of a mineral refers to the color of the
mark it leaves behind after being rubbed against
a piece of unglazed porcelain. Hematite
provides a good example of how streak works.
While this mineral is usually black, silver or
brown-red in hand sample, its streak is always a
dark blood-red. Chalcopyrite is usually golden-
brown in hand sample but has a green-black
streak. Streak can be used only for minerals
with a Mohs hardness of 7 or less, as minerals
with a hardness greater than 7 will themselves
Luster scratch the streak plate.
Luster refers to the way in which the surface of a mineral reflects light and is controlled by the kinds
of atoms present and their bonding. It is described by the following terms
Adamantine – diamond-like luster; such minerals are usually transparent and have a high refractive
index; e.g. diamond, cerussite, cubic zirconia

Dull or earthy – no reflections; e.g. kaolinite

Greasy – the appearance of being coated with an oily substance; may also be greasy to the touch;
e.g. opal
Pearly – the whitish iridescence of materials such as pearls; e.g. stilbite
Vitreous – like glass; e.g. calcite, quartz, beryl
Silky – like silk fabric; e.g. satin spar (a variety of gypsum)
Resinous – like a resin; e.g. fire opal
Metallic – metal-like in appearance; e.g. pyrite
Cleavage
Minerals are composed of atoms, which, for each mineral, have a characteristic arrangement.
Weaknesses in the chemical bonds between these atoms cause planes of weakness in the crystal
structure. Cleavage is an indication of how well a mineral breaks along these planes of weakness
and may be a good diagnostic characteristic. Cleavage may be described as “perfect”, ”good”,
“distinct” or ”poor”. In transparent minerals or in thin sections viewed though a microscope,
cleavage may be seen as a series of parallel lines.
The number of cleavage planes in a mineral may also aid its identification. Cleavage typically occurs
in either one, two, three, four or six directions. Micas easily split along their one plane of cleavage to
form thin sheets. Amphiboles exhibit two cleavage planes. Iceland spar, a variety of calcite, cleaves
readily along three planes of weakness into distinctive rhombs. Galena breaks along three cleavage
planes producing cubic fractions. Fluorite and diamond show cleavage in four directions. Sphalerite
exhibits cleavage in six directions. Not every mineral displays cleavage. For example, quartz does not
have a weakness in its crystal structure and therefore does not exhibit cleavage. When a quartz
specimen is broken with a hammer, it displays conchoidal (shell-like) fracture.

Do what is asked.
1. Identify at least 5 rock forming minerals
2. Enumerate the physical properties of rock-forming minerals.