Quartz

Calcite
Interesting Fact

Welcome to Rocks and

Minerals!
Click the hammer to continue!

Go Back

Diamond

Go On

Meet Geologist Dean!

Hey everybody! My
name is Geologist
Dean, and Im
going to be helping
you throughout
this lesson!

Target Audience
My class consists 0f twenty one kids; ten girls ad eleven boys.
We usually divide into five group of four, and one group of five.
Most of the children speak English fluently; however, two or three are
still having a bit of trouble understanding bigger words.

Environment
Available to the students are six desktop computers that they are
allowed to use.
The classroom also comes with an overhead projector and a
Promethean Board.

Instructional Objectives
Provided information on limestone, students will be able to explain
its uses and know that it is the most abundant mineral in Indiana
without grammatical error.
Students will be able to know what the terms luster, cleavage,
hardness, streak, and color have to do with identifying rocks, and
will be able to explain them without grammatical error.
Students will be able to identify calcite, diamond, and quartz when
presented with them with little mistakes.

Welcome to the Rock

Lab!
Click any of the above minerals to continue!

Calcite is
the most
common
mineral on
Earth

Mohs Scale
of
Hardness:
3

Calcite!
Colors:
colorless,
white,
brown,
orange, pink,
red, purple,
Etc.

Luster:
vitreous

Streak:
White

When HCl
interacts
with it, the
rock will
fizz!

Interesting Facts!
Calcite can be ANY of the rock types- sedimentary,
igneous, or metamorphic!
Calcite has flawless cleavage.

Calcite can also be called calcspar.

Uses for Calcite!

The properties of calcite include: construction material, abrasive,
agricultural soil treatment, construction aggregate, pigment,
pharmaceutical and more!
Calcite has many uses as a neutralizer of acids.

Powdered calcite is often used as a white pigment or a whitening

agent. Some of the earliest known paints were made with calcite! It is
a primary ingredient in whitewash, and it is used as an inert coloring
ingredient of paint.

Quiz Time!
Fill in the blank!

1. What color is calcites streak?

2. What is calcites luster?
3. Where does calcite rank on Mohs Scale of Hardness?

OOPS!
Somethings
wrong! How
about we try
again?

Wow! Great job!

Youre going to
be a great
Geologist! Now
lets keep
going.

Quartz
Streak: white

Luster: Vitreous

Colors:
colorless,
white, purple,
pink, brown,
black, gray,
green, and
even orange!

Mohs Scale of
Hardness: 7

Fun facts!

1. Quartz occurs in all environments

2. Quartz is the most varied of all minerals.
3. Chalcedony is actually a variety of quartz.

Uses for Quartz

Quartz sand is used in the production of container glass, flat plate
glass, specialty glass and fiberglass.
Quartz sands and finely ground silica sand are used for sand blasting,
scouring cleansers, grinding media, and grit for sanding and sawing.

Refractory brick are often made of quartz sand because of its high
heat resistance.

Quiz Time!
Where does quartz form?
In caves

Everywhere

In the rainforest

Under the ocean

Wow! Great job!

Youre going to
be a great
Geologist! Now
lets keep
going.

Video slide: the difference between

quartz and calcite

Streak:
Diamond has
no streak!

Place on Mohs
Scale: 10!

Luster:
Vitreous

Colors:
Colorless,
white, yellow,
and brown,
gray, and black

Interesting Facts!
1. Diamonds have historically been sold for
more than a million dollars PER CARAT!
2. Colored diamonds are EXTREMELY rare and
valuable. That might be why theyre coined
fancies!
3. Diamonds have absolutely NO refraction.

Uses for Diamond

Because diamond is the hardest substance on Mohs Scale (it ranks a
ten, topping the scale), most diamonds are used as abrasives.
Diamonds can also be used in making: windows, speaker domes,
heat sinks, low friction micro bearings, and wear-resistant parts!

Diamonds can be embedded into the tips of drills, saw blades, and
grinding wheels to reinforce the cutting edge.

Quiz Time (again!)

What can you tell us about diamonds now that weve gone
over them?

Wow! You guys are

so close to
becoming major
geologists! Next,
were going to talk
about Indianas
limestone

Indianas Limestone!
Indiana limestone was formed around three
hundred MILLION years ago!
Out of all the limestone in the United
States, eighty percent of it comes from
right here in Indiana.
In fact, Indiana limestone can be found on
buildings worldwide!

Indiana Limestone cont.

Indiana limestone
also has another
name that we can
call it- Salem
formation.
Limestone is a
freestone, which
means it has no
preferential
direction of
splitting.
Remember Calcite?
The limestone in
Indiana is made
mostly of it at 97%.

Uses of limestone
Limestone is a rock with an
ENORMOUS diversity of
uses.
Most limestone is crushed
and used as a construction
material. It is used as a
crushed stone for road
base and railroad ballast. It
is used as an aggregate in
concrete. It is fired in a kiln
with crushed shale to
make cement!

(yet another) QUIZ!

One last quiz before the
end Can you name a
few of the uses of
limestone we
discussed?

Wow,
great Job
you guys!
Take the
Final
Exam!

THE FINAL EXAM!!!

1. What color is Calcites streak?
a. Gray

(just kidding, dont be scared!)

2. What is Calcites luster?

a. adamantine

b. Blue

b. Shiny

c. White

c. Dull

d. Black

d. Vitreous

Oops
Something
wasnt right
Lets try again,
shall we?

Yay!!!
CORRECT!!!
Keep it up,
future
Geologist!

YAY!
CORRECT!!!
Keep it up,
future
Geologist!

The Final Exam

3. Where is quartz on Mohs Scale?
a. Five
b. Seven
c. Ten

d. Two

4. Will Calcite scratch Quartz?

a. Yes
b. No

Yay!!!
CORRECT!!!
Keep it up,
future
Geologist!

Oops
Something
wasnt right
Lets try again,
shall we?

Yay!!!
CORRECT!!!
Keep it up,
future
Geologist!

The Final Exam

5. What is Diamonds streak?

a. white
b. Gray
c. Blue
d. None

6. How much Limestone comes from

Indiana?
a. Twelve Percent
b. Fifty Percent
c. Eighty Percent

d. None

Yay!!!
CORRECT!!!
Keep it up,
future
Geologist!

Oops
Something
wasnt right
Lets try again,
shall we?

Yay!!!
CORRECT!!!
Keep it up,
future
Geologist!

One last thing

See the pen icon at the bottom of your screen? (You might have to move the mouse to see it.)
Go ahead and click on it, and try to match diamond, calcite and quartz with facts you know
about them now!

I am used in making
glass

Colored versions of
me are extremely
rare, and are called
Fancies!

I am a Three on
Mohs Scale

Check your answers!

See the pen icon at the bottom of your screen? (You might have to move the mouse to see it.)
Go ahead and click on it, and try to match diamond, calcite and quartz with facts you know
about them now!

I am used in making
glass

Colored versions of
me are extremely
rare, and are called
Fancies!

I am a Three on
Mohs Scale

CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations!
Youre officially a
geologist! Im so
proud of you!

Your certificate, Geologist!

Congratulations!
For all your hard work has paid off, and now you
are a geologist too!

Type your name here