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There are several Web sites related to mineralogy, including the Mineralogy
Museum at Ecole des Mines de Paris and the Clausthal Institute of Mineralogy .
Minerals in the general sense are basic inputs to modern society, and the
Mineral Council of Australia is concerned about the lack of science and
engineering graduates with interests in this general area - and is spending
money to do something about it.
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but
so
Important Elements
Crust Composition
Elements occur in
minerals
Minerals
minerals are
Silicates
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O with Si
and Al Fe Mg
Ca Na K
Earth Materials
Rocks
See examples in the UBC Image Gallery - enter rock names you might already
know.
(Unfortunately, this no longer seems to be an open site - June 2001.)
Rock-Forming Minerals
Clay
Quartz
Calcite
Olivine
Dolomite
Pyroxene
Amphibole
Biotite, Muscovite Micas
Orthoclase, Plagioclase Feldspars
Other Minerals
Alternative Division
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Mineral Identification
Other techniques
optical, using thin sections of rocks
x-ray diffraction, to measure the crystal structures
chemical analyses
Crystallography
Lustre is
quality of light reflected from surface of mineral
Division between metallic and non-metallic can help with diagnosis
of mineral
Lustre Table
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First Step
Moh's Scale
Next Step
Test Hardness
Streak
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Streak is
Colour
Near Completion
The Result
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Cleavage
Presence/absence,
ease/difficulty,
number of cleavage directions,
Cleavage sketches I
Cleavage sketches II
Cleavage
Cleavage assists
Add Colour
The Decision
A few habits
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Asbestos
Other Descriptors
Minerals
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Silicate Structure 1
Island Silicates
Silicate Polymers
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Pyroxenes
Single-chain silicates
SiO3(2-) unit bonds with Mg, Fe, Ca
Pyroxenes
Augite Cleavage
Amphiboles
Hornblende Cleavage
Tremolite example
Micas
Sheet silicate
Substitution of Al for Si common
Examples
Micas
Sheet silicate
Excellent cleavage into sheets
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Biotite Structure
Biotite Habit
Chlorite
Clays
Clays
Clay Minerals
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Widely-occurring, light-coloured
Framework silicate structure
Plagioclase feldspars most common mineral in igneous rocks
Hard, stubby crystals, often gray with two good cleavages, distinguished
from Orthoclase (K-feldspar) by frequent observation of twinning on
cleavage face.
Feldspars 2
Quartz!
Non-Silicate Minerals
Other samples of Hematite and Magnetite are reminders that minerals do not always (usually!)
exist as cabinet crystal specimens.
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