WRITTEN REPORT OF GROUP 4

MINERALOGY

Brucal, Nino

Castillo, Jerico

Cenizal, Ardhy Jones

Espartinez, Jhercel Ann

Giron, Rachel

Maranga, Ed Paul

Madrid, Georjeff

Martinez, Lyzelle Anne

Reyes, Warren

Ugalde, Reinel

Unawa, Elleen Joy

BSCE 1-2
I. Introduction

How do we define Mineralogy?

Mineralogy is a scientific discipline that is concerned with all aspects of minerals,

including their physical properties, chemical composition, internal crystal structure, and
occurence and distribution in nature and their origins in terms of the physicochemical
conditions of formation.

Minerals are defined as solid, inorganic, naturally occuring substances with a definite
chemical formula and general structure.

II. Formation of Minerals

1. Formed from magma - directly formed from desposition of molten magma

2. Secondary process - due to weathering, precipitation and deposition

3. Metamorphism - formed under the influence of high temperatures and pressures with and
without the active involvement of chemically active solution

III. Branches of Mineralogy

1. Crystallography - study of the crystal lattice structure of minerals

2. Crystal Chemistry - deals with how the chemical composition of a mineral relates to its
cyrtsal structure

3. Physical Mineralogy - concerned with the physical properties and description of minerals

4. Determinative Mineralogy - deals with identifying unknown minerals, also using the
physical properties of minerals

5. Chemical Mineralogy - deals with identifying minerals to determine the chemical

composition of the earth’s crust

6. Optical Mineralogy - deals with determining the crystal structure of minerals using light

7. X-ray Mineralogy - uses x-ray diffraction techniques to determine the crystal structure of
minerals

8. Economic Mineralogy - the study of new, economically important uses of minerals

IV. Crystallography

Crystallography is the experimental science of the arrangement of atoms in solids. The

word “crystallography” derives from the Greek words crystallon = cold drop/frozen drop,
with its meaning extending to all solids with some degree of transparency, and grapho = write

V. Physical Properties of Minerals

The following physical properties of minerals can be easily used to identify a mineral:

1. Color - minerals have distinctive colors making it helpful in identifying minerals

2. Streak - it is the color displayed of minerals when it is in powder form

3. Hardness - it is the measure of the mineral’s resistance in scratching

4. Cleavage - the tendency of a mineral to break along smooth parallel to zones of weak
bonding

5. Crystalline Structure - arrangement of the atoms, molecules or ions that make up the crystal
and how they are joined

6. Diaphaneity - mineral’s degree of transparency or ability to allow light to pass through it

7. Tenacity - describes how the particles of a mineral hold together or resist separation

8. Magnetism - characteristic that allows a mineral to attract or repel other magnetic materials

9. Luster - property of minerals that indicates how much the surface of a mineral reflects light

10. Odor - most minerals have no odor unless they are acted upon in one of the following
ways: moistened, heated, breathed upon or rubbed

11. Taste - only minerals that are soluble have taste

12. Specific Gravity - ratio of the weight of the mineral to the weight of an equal amount of
water.

VI. Rock Forming Mineral

More than 4,000 minerals are present on earth according to the scientists. A small group
of these minerals makes up 90% of the rocks of the earth’s crust.

Rock-Forming Mineral must:

 Be one of the most abundant minerals in the earth’s crust

 Be one of the original minerals present at the time of a crustal rock’s formation

 Be one of the original minerals present at the time of a crustal rock’s

Rock-forming Minerals examples:

 Apatite

Chemical composition: CA 5(PO4) 3 (OH, F, CL)

Hardness: 5

Specific Gravity: 3.1-3.2

Transparency: Transparent to Translucent

Color: Typically green but also yellow, blue, reddish, brown and purple

Streak: White

Luster: Vitreous to greasy

Cleavage/Fracture: Poor/Conchoidal

Crystal Habit/ Mode of Occurence: Prismatic (Hexagonal Prism with hexagonal pyramid
orpinacoid or both as termination), acicular/granular, massive

 Garnet

Chemical composition: FE 3AL 2SI 3O 12 (ALAMNIDE)

Hardness: 6.5-7.5

Specific Gravity: 3.6-4.3

Transparency: Transparent to Opaque

Color: Variable - most commonly red, reddish brown,

Streak: White

Luster: Vitreous to resinous

Cleavage/Fracture: Non-existent/Conchoidal

Crystal Habit/ Mode of Occurence: Prismatic (12-sided rhombic, 24-sided trapezoidal),

granular/ massive

 Quartz

Chemical composition: SIO 2

Hardness: 7

Specific Gravity: 2.65

Transparency: Transparent to Translucent

Color: Variable - Clear is most common (pure quartz), also white or cloudy (milky quartz);
but can be very variable - purple (amethyst), pink (rose quartz), grey or brown to black
(smoky quartz) are also common; yellow to orange (citrine) are more rare; cryptocrystalline
varieties can be multicolored

Streak: White

Luster: Vitreous

Cleavage/Fracture: Non-existent/Conchoidal

Crystal Habit/ Mode of Occurence: Prismatic (hexagonal prism terminated with a six sided
pyramid )/ crysptocrystalline/ massive

VII. Crystallographic System

Crystallographic system is a method of classifying crystals according to their atomic

lattice or structure. The atomic lattice is three-dimensional network of atoms that are arranged
in a symmetrical pattern. The shape of the lattice determines not only which crystal system
the stone belongs to, but all of its physical properties and appearance.

 Isometric System

All three axes are equal length and intersect at right angles.

Cube (diamond, flourite, pyrite)

Octahedron (diamond, flourite, magnetite)

Rhombic dodecahedron (garnet, lapis lazuli rarely crystallises)

Icosi-tetrahedron (pyrite, sphalerite)

Hexacisochedron (pyrite)
 Tetragonal System

Two axes are equal length and are in the same plane, the main axis is either longer or
shorter, and all three intersect at right angles.

Four-sided prisms and pyramids

Trapezohedrons

Eight-sided and double pyramids

Icosi-tetrahedron (pyrite, sphalerite)

Hexacisochedron (pyrite)

 Hexagonal System

Three out of the four axes are in one plane, of the same length, and intersect each other at
angles of 60 degrees. The fourth axis is of a different length and intersects the others at right
angles.

Four-sided prisms and pyramids

Twelve-sided pyramids

Double pyramids

 Trigonal System

Axes and angles in this system are similar to the hexagonal system, and the two systems
are often combined as hexagonal. In the cross-section of a trigonal crystal there will be three
sides. Based on a triangular inner structure.

Three-sided prisms or pyramids

Rhombohedra

Scalenohedra

 Orthorhombic System
 Three axes, all of different lengths, are right at angles to each other. Based on a rhombic
(diamond-shaped) inner structure.

Pinacoids

Rhombic prisms

Pyramids

Double pyramids

 Monoclinic Systems

Three axes, each of different lengths. Two are right angles to each other and the third is
inclined. Based on a parallelogram inner structure.

Basal pinacoids and prisms with inclined end faces

 Triclinic System

All three axes are of different lengths and inclined towards each other.

Based on a ‘triclinic’ inner structure, meaning ‘three inclined angles’

Crystal forms are usually paired faces

 Amorphous

No crystal structure. Most of these are either cooled too quickly to crystallise - such as
obsidian or moldavite or are organic - such as amber

VIII. Summary

Mineralogy is a scientific discipline that is concerned with all aspects of minerals,

including their physical properties, chemical composition, internal crystal structure, and
occurence and distribution in nature and their origins in terms of the physicochemical
conditions of formation.

Minerals are defined as solid, inorganic, naturally occuring substances with a definite
chemical formula and general structure.
 There are 3 types to form a mineral: formed from magma, secondary process and
metamorphism.

The branches of mineralogy are: Crystallography, Crystal Chemistry, Physical

Mineralogy, Determinative Mineralogy, Chemical Mineralogy, Optical Mineralogy, X-ray
Mineralogy and Economic Mineralogy.

The physical properties of minerals are, color, odor, taste, luster, crystalline structure,
tenacity, diaphaneity, magnetism, streak, hardness and cleavage.

IX. Importance of Mineralogy in Civil Engineering

 The civil engineers need to know the properties of rocks precisely to enable them to
consider different rocks for any required purpose, i.e., as foundation rocks, as road meta,
as concrete aggregate, building stones, as flooring or roofing materials, as decorative
material, etc. All properties of rocks are, in turn, depended on the properties of their
constituent minerals. Thus, properties of civil engineering importance such as their
strength, durability and appearance of rocks can be assessed only with the knowledge of
the minerals that form rocks i.e. rock forming minerals.

 The economic minerals, since they are scare, do not influence the properties of rocks and
are hence irrelevant from the civil engineering point of view. However, if they happen to
occur in large quantities, their economic value will not permit them to be used either as
construction materials or as foundation sites.

X. Reference

http://www.geologyin.com/2014/11/crystal-structure-and-crystal-system.html

http://www.webmineral.com/help/CrystalSystem.shtml#.XIYt3noRWDY

http://www.rocksandminerals4u.com/properties of minerals.html

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal system

http://www.crystalage.com/crystal information/ seven crystal systems

http://civilengineering-notes.weebly.com/rock-forming-minerals.html