What is a Mineral? 11/16/14What is a Mineral? 11/16/14

IN: Describe the mineral on your desk, use adjectives.

3-1 3-1 What are What are Minerals?Minerals?

What is a mineral?What is a mineral?1. Solid2. Inorganic3. Naturally formed4. Crystal

Mineral FactsMineral FactsThere are over 2000 minerals on Earth,

but only 100 are commonly found.

30 minerals make up the majority of the rocks on Earth.

Nevada is #1 mining state in the Union.

What makes up minerals?What makes up minerals?

Elements◦Pure substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances.

What are elements?What are elements?All minerals contain one or more of the 92

elements present in the Earth’s crust.

Element FactsElement FactsThere are 92 naturally occurring elements

on earth but only 8 elements make over 98% of the minerals on the Earth's crust.

What are elements made of ?What are elements made of ?

Atoms◦The smallest part of an element.

Most minerals are made of more Most minerals are made of more than one element.than one element.

Compounds◦A substance made of two or more elements that have been chemically joined.

Example,Example,Halite – NaCl – table salt

◦Made from a compound of sodium and chlorine.

◦Sodium-a highly reactive metal◦Chlorine-a poisonous gas

Na + Cl NaCl

What is a crystalline structure?What is a crystalline structure?

Crystals◦Solid, geometric forms of minerals

produced by a repeating pattern of atoms that is present through the mineral

Types of mineralsTypes of minerals

Two types of minerals1. Silicate2. Nonsilicate

Silicate mineralsSilicate mineralsContain a combination of silicon and oxygen.

Make up 90% of the Earth’s crust.

Example,Example,Granite

◦A rock composed of feldspar, mica, and quartz.

FeldsparMica Quartz

Nonsilicate mineralsNonsilicate mineralsDo not contain silicon and oxygen.

10% of Earth’s minerals are nonsilicates.

There are 6 categories of nonsilicate minerals.

Native elementsNative elementsMinerals that are composed of only one

element.

Examples,◦Gold◦Diamond◦Copper◦Silver

Minerals of NevadaMinerals of Nevadahttp://minerals.state.nv.us/

Mining in Nevada•Mining is the largest industry in rural Nevada and a major contributor to the state's revenue:•Nevada production accounts for 87% of the total US gold production and is the third largest producer in the world behind South Africa andAustralia.•Nevada also leads the nation in barite and gypsum production.•Other mineral production includes copper, sand, gravel, limestone, diatomaceous earth and specialty clays.•In 2004, Nevada mining directly employed 11,690 people at an average wage of $63,388.•An additional 51,000 jobs were made possible by vendors of goods and services to the industry.•Nevada mining provides approximately 100 million dollars in state taxrevenue every year. Thatʼs enough to buy one new high school ($51M),300,000 text books ($20M),150 new school buses ($12M)and pay for 400 teachers' annual salaries ($17M).

OUT: How do we OUT: How do we determine if something is determine if something is a mineral?a mineral?