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58 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Minerals
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The building blocks of rocks
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Gemstone
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A mineral that is valued based on its "prettiness"
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Ore mineral
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A mineral mined for its metal content
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What is the criteria for minerals?
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*naturally occurring
*(generally) inorganic *solid *has a definable composition *has a fixed crystalline structure |
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Is steel a mineral?
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No (only synthesized)
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Is diamond a mineral?
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Yes (found in nature as well as synthesized)
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Native element
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A mineral that consists of only one element
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Most minerals are chemical __________ .
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compounds
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Most common minerals are _____________ when pure.
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colorless
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Cleavage planes
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The tendency to break along planes of weak bonding
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Cleavage planes occur in ____________ sets.
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parallel
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1 cleavage direction
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breaks into sheets
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2 cleavage directions
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breaks into blocks or amphiboles (rods)
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3 cleavage directions (all three sets are at right angles to one another)
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breaks into cubes
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3 cleavage directions (all three sets are not at right angles to one another)
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breaks into rhombs (squashed cubes)
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4 cleavage directions
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breaks into octahedra and triangular prisms
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Lack of cleavage
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Fracture
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Fracture (definition)
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breaking on a curved or irregular surface
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A common sign of fracture is _____________ ____________ .
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concentric circles
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A glass test can also be performed by using your __________ .
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fingernail
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The ___________ Hardness test
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Mohs
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Luster
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A qualitative term that describes how a crystal reflects light
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Three kinds of luster:
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*metallic
*vitreous/glassy *earthy |
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Metallic
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*opaque
*think coin example |
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Vitreous is also known as ____________ .
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glassy
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Earthy
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*dull
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Is metallic always shiny?
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No
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Streak
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The color of the powdered form of a mineral
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The streak test is very useful for ____________ minerals.
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metallic
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Specific gravity is ___________ .
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unitless
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The mineral ___________ reacts with acids (effervesces with weak acids) .
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Calcite
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CaCo_3
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Calcite
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Water has a specific gravity of _____ .
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1
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_________ has a high specific gravity.
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Galena
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Minerals are classified based on their _____________ .
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chemistry
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Oxides
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- anion: O^2-
- many important ore minerals - great density |
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Sulfides
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- anion: S^2-
- many important ore minerals - greater specific gravity and density than oxides |
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Halides
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- anion: halogens (F^-, Cl^-, Br^-, I^-)
- often form as evaporites - ionic bond - soft |
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A nickname for the Halides group is _____________ .
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salts
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Carbonates
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- anion: CO_3^2
- may fizz in weak acid |
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Sulfates
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- anion: SO_4^2-
- often form as evaporites |
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Native Elements
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- anion: none (no ions)
- most are metal - polymorphs |
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Polymorphs
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Multiple minerals that all share the same chemical composition
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An example of polymorphs are ___________ and __________ .
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graphite, diamond
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Silicates
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- anion: SiO_4^4-
- very diverse - abundant (90% of the crust) |
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SiO_2
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Quartz
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Isolated tetrahedra silicates
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- no sharing ---> lots of cations
- fairly common in the oceanic crust - most of the mantle |
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Single chain pyroxenes
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- every tetrahedra shares 2 of 4 oxygens
- many chains bonded with cations |
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Double chain silicates are also known as ___________ .
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amphiboles
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Double chain silicates
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- half of the tetrahedra shares 2 of 4 oxygens
- half of the tetrahedra shares 3 of 4 oxygens |
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Sheet silicates
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- all tetrahedra share 3 of 4 oxygens
- all have 1 direction of cleavage - wafer-like crystal |
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Framework silicates
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- all tetrahedra share all 4 oxygens
- 3d framework |
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Asbestos
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Industry term applied to at least six distinct silicate minerals that grow as fibers with unusual heat resistance and tensile strength
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Inhaling asbestos ___________ is linked with many health problems, such as mesothelioma, larynx and lung cancers, etc.
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fiberrs
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Three kinds of asbestos are used commercially: ________, ________, and ________ .
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white, blue, brown
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White asbestos
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- sheet silicate
- most common - considered safe at low doses but still not safe to inhale |
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Blue asbestos, Brown asbestos
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- amphiboles (double chain silicates)
- needle-like fibers |
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Because blue asbestos and brown asbestos are ___________ , they are much harder than the _________ _________ white asbestos.
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amphiboles, sheet silicate
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