mineralogy
Ores
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element(s).
Example:
Copper…Diamond….Gold……Silver…..Sulfur…..
Ore minerals
Are minerals that contain the metal of value….
Pyrite-iron sulfate….Galena-gray sulfide of lead….Sphalerire-sulfide of zinc….Fluorite-colored of fluoride calcium
Hematite-Iron…Chalcopyrite-copper and iron.
Gangue Minerals
Minerals Deposit
Properties of Minerals
Luster-(glossy, shines) Luster refers to the light reflected off of the mineral and its overall quality. Minerals can be termed: glassy, opaque, transparent, shiny, or most commonly: metallic and non-metallic. Ex:
Pearly-whitish iridescence of such materials as pearl.. Greasy-appearance of being coated w/ oily substance… Silky-sheen of fibrous materials such as silk.. Resinous- example amber.
Hardness
Refers to "scratchability" or resistance to being scratched. Harder minerals will scratch softer minerals.
Geologists rank minerals according to hardness using the Moh's scale. The following is a listing of the minerals of the Mohs scale and their rating:
1. Talc –softest mineral 6. Orthoclase Feldspar
2. Gypsum 7. Quartz
3. Calcite 8. Topaz
4. Fluorite 9. Corundum(Ruby)
5. Apatite 10. Diamond-hardest mineral.
Streak
Streak is the color of the mineral in powdered form. Streak shows the true color of the mineral.
Cleavage
Refers to very smooth, flat, shiny breakage surfaces. These special breakage surfaces correspond to zones of weak bonding in the crystal structure. To describe cleavage, one must determine the number of unique cleavage planes (directions) and their angle with respect to each other (e.g. salt breaks into
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element(s).
Example:
Copper…Diamond….Gold……Silver…..Sulfur…..
Ore minerals
Are minerals that contain the metal of value….
Pyrite-iron sulfate….Galena-gray sulfide of lead….Sphalerire-sulfide of zinc….Fluorite-colored of fluoride calcium
Hematite-Iron…Chalcopyrite-copper and iron.
Gangue Minerals
Minerals Deposit
Properties of Minerals
Luster-(glossy, shines) Luster refers to the light reflected off of the mineral and its overall quality. Minerals can be termed: glassy, opaque, transparent, shiny, or most commonly: metallic and non-metallic. Ex:
Pearly-whitish iridescence of such materials as pearl.. Greasy-appearance of being coated w/ oily substance… Silky-sheen of fibrous materials such as silk.. Resinous- example amber.
Hardness
Refers to "scratchability" or resistance to being scratched. Harder minerals will scratch softer minerals.
Geologists rank minerals according to hardness using the Moh's scale. The following is a listing of the minerals of the Mohs scale and their rating:
1. Talc –softest mineral 6. Orthoclase Feldspar
2. Gypsum 7. Quartz
3. Calcite 8. Topaz
4. Fluorite 9. Corundum(Ruby)
5. Apatite 10. Diamond-hardest mineral.
Streak
Streak is the color of the mineral in powdered form. Streak shows the true color of the mineral.
Cleavage
Refers to very smooth, flat, shiny breakage surfaces. These special breakage surfaces correspond to zones of weak bonding in the crystal structure. To describe cleavage, one must determine the number of unique cleavage planes (directions) and their angle with respect to each other (e.g. salt breaks into