Atoms Elements Minerals Rocks: Earth's Building Materials

Smallest individual particle retaining properties of an element.

Fundamental substances into which matter can be broken down chemically.

• Naturally formed inorganic solid that has a specific chemical composition and a distinct crystal structure.
• Composed of elements.

• Naturally formed
• Coherent mass of one or more minerals
• Sometimes including organic debris

• Naturally formed
• Inorganic
• Solid
• Specific Chemical Composition
• Characteristic Crystal Structure

Lack specific composition and/or characteristic crystal structure.

• Protons and Neutrons
• very little volume but nearly all mass of atom

Positive

Neutral

Negative

the atoms Atomic Number

Mass Number

Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers.

Orbitals

Energy-level shells

Atom with excessive positive or negative charge caused by electron transfer.

Cation

Anion

• An Atom of 2 or more elements combined in a specific ration. 
• i.e. Water

• Ionic
• Covalent
• Metallic
• van der Waals

• Electrostatic attractions between + & - charged particles
• Weak

• Sharing of electrons by two adjacent atoms
• Strong

• Closely packed atoms
• Electrons shared between several atoms

Weak secondary attraction between certain molecules.

Two or more ions that act as a single entity.

Geometric patterns of atoms in a solid.

Has a crystal structure

Lack of crystal structures

Ions with similar sizes and charges can substitute for each other.

• Crystal Form
• Cleavage
• Luster
• Color
• Streak
• Hardness
• Density

• Growth Habit
• Geometric arrangement of crystal faces

2 or more minerals with the same composition but different crystal structures.

Mineral's tendency to break in preferred directions along planar surfaces.

Quality and intensity of light reflected from mineral.

Often striking, but unreliable means of identification.

Thin layer of powdered mineral made by rubbing it on non-glazed porcelain.

Mineral's relative resistance to scratching.

• Mass/Unit Volume
• Specific gravity - ration of mass of substance to mass of equal volume of water

Oxygen

Silicon

• Minerals that contain Silicate Anion (Si0₄)^-4
• Most abundant group

Silicates

• Four oxygen atoms (Large) surrounding a silicon atom (small)
• Oxygen atoms must bond with other cations and/or bond with 2 silicon atoms at one time

• Oxygen atoms must bond with:
• other cations and/or
• bond with 2 silicon atoms at one time

Process of linking silicate tetrahedra.

Isolated Silicate

Green color

Isolated

Single Chains

Double chains

• Igneous
• Sedimentary
• Metamorphic

From cooling and solidification of magma

From consolidation of sediment

It's original form has been altered by high temperatures and/or high presser

Exposed rocks are transformed into sediment --> Sediment is buried and compacted, becoming sedimentary rock --> deeper burial turns it into metamorphic rock --> even deeper burial may cause rock to melt, forming magma from which igneous rocks will form