GEOLOGY 101 Sections 519-527 Spring 2014 Class 3

Class objectives
Define what a mineral is
Describe the relationship of elements,
compounds, minerals and bond types
List six of the characteristics used to
distinguish between minerals and give one
prime example of mineral distinguished by
each characteristic
Describe how diamonds are formed and the
things to look for in acquiring a diamond.
Definitions - Mineral
Minerals are the naturally occurring chemical
elements or compounds, formed by inorganic
processes, with an ordered internal arrangement
or pattern for its atoms, that possess a definite,
chemical composition or range of composition.



Mineral definition (Cont.)
Excludes
Slag
Synthetic diamonds
Coal, petroleum, natural gas
Obsidian (lacks internal structure)
Internal structure important
Diamonds and graphite same carbon
Identifying Minerals using
Diagnostic Characteristics
1. Crystal Form orderly arrangement of
atoms. Maybe regular or distorted.
2. Luster quality of light reflected from the
surface.
Metallic appearance of metals regardless of color
Nonmetallic glassy, pearly, silky, earthy
Submetallic partially metallic
3. Color unreliable as a diagnostic
indicator because impurities create a
variety of colors. Sulfur, however, is
always yellow.
4. Streak color in powdered form.
Metallic is dark and dense.
5. Hardness the Mohs scale is 1-10 with 1
being the softest and 10 the hardest.
Talc/gypsum/calcite/fluorite/apatite/orthoclase/
quartz/topaz/corundum/diamond
Fingernail (2.5); penny (3.0); glass (5.5)
6. Cleavage tendency to break along lines
of weakness. Surface of break is ALWAYS
smooth.
7. Fracture if a mineral does not cleave, it
will break into a curved surface or fracture.
Most minerals fracture in an irregularly
fashion.
8. Specific gravity ratio of the weight of
the mineral to the weight of an equal
volume of water. Galena = 7.5; gold
(24 carat) = 20
Types of Cleavage
Examples of cleavage
and minerals that
acquire the diagnostic
form.
Mineral Crystal Shapes
Cube halite
12 sided garnet
8 sided diamond
& flourite
6 sided quartz

Shape is a function
of?
Field mineral identification
Color
Streak
Luster

Hardness

Gravity
Cleavage
Olivine
Hematite
Metallic and non-metallic
The Gs (Gemlike, glassy, greasy ,gyppy,
groundlike) and Pearly
Talc and diamonds Fingernail,
penny, knife
Gold 19.3
NaCl, Biotite

Field mineral identification
Fracture
Crystal
structure


Conchoidal Quartztite
See table

Striations on
Plagioclase, never
Orthoclase

Chemistry for Geology
Where ever we examine materials that
comprise Earth, they will all have the same
general characteristics.

The composition consists of atoms and an
atomic structure.
Variations result in the formation of different
elements which in turn create different rocks
and minerals.
The Atom
The internal structure of the atom consists of
protons, electrons, and neutrons.
The nucleus of an atom, protons and
neutrons, creates the mass of the atom.
The ATOMIC NUMBER is the number of
protons in the nucleus. This number is unique
to each element.
Atomic Mass is the sum of protons and
neutrons associated with an element.
Atoms continued
A proton has a positive electrical
charge, a neutron is neutral and an
electron has negative charge.
Electrical neutrality occurs when
protons are balanced by electrons.
No electrical balance means an
Ion has been created with a gain
or loss of electrons.
The Structure of Two Elements
Hydrogen and oxygen
are known to all as basic
elements.
Separate each is a gas.

Bonded together they
form water, a substance
essential for life.
The Elements
103 elements, the symbol and the
atomic number are given in the next
table.
You will recognize many elements
because of the role they play as
resources humans need (aluminum,
copper, iron, gold, nickel, silver).
Hydrogen is the most basic element
with an atomic number of 1. Why?
Chemistry
The science of chemistry and to some
extent physics observes how elements
interact with other elements.
Electrons with a negative charge circle
the nucleus is paths or shells that hold
up to either 2 or 8 electrons
For some reason all atoms feel better
about themselves if the other electron
shell is full or empty.
Ionic vs Covalent Bonding

Ionic: electron(s) leave one atom &
gained by another atom to satisfy both
atoms octets
This results in the formation of ions.
The resulting opposite charges attract
each other.
Covalent: electrons are shared by two
or more atoms to satisfy need to have
clean outer electron shells.
Other bond types

Metallic electrons flow
freely through mass of atoms

Van der Waal forces Very weak
bond caused by slight electron
orbital imbalances
All metals = metallic bond
Nonmetals and Metals = ionic bond
All nonmetals = covalent bond
Ionic bond weak
Atom with almost
full other shell
STEALS Electron
Each now
has an OPPOSITE
charge
that binds them
Covalent Bond
Nature drives all
molecules to full or
empty outermost
electron shell.
Covalent bonds
Electrons shared
between elements, filling
out shell for both
Strong bond
Can and do form long
chains


http://mtweb.mtsu.edu/cribb/1030minerals.html
Evans approaches the Alabama
12.39 yard line , beginning
Paleozoic Era, Cambrian Period
570 million years to go!


At 10.27 yard line
First Plants appear
At Alabama 32 yard line
Evans sees the first living cells with
nucleus, at about the 30 the first
Multi-cell life

TAMU joins SEC
Beats the hellouta Bama
0.00000002 Ma
Important Dates in Last 4,570,000 years ,plus or minus a month or two
Adapted from Bill Deane
web.eps.utk.edu/~faculty/tennmaps/.../
TennMaps_HistoryOfEarth.pp
Principle of
Uniformitarianism

James Hutton
(1726-97)


Charles Lyell
1797-1875





http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10c.html
Past geologic processes still govern
today
Present is key to past
Lyell argued that processes
and rates were constant
Influenced Darwin and
biology. Rates now considered to
vary. Contradicted creationism
Ussher's 6016 year old earth

Where was this sand dune picture taken?
Lithosphere Rocky sphere
100km thick crust +
Upper mantle

Asthenosphere weak sphere
Next 350 km

Element Abundance in Crust
Oxygen 46.6% by weight in the crust
Silicon 27.7%
Aluminum 8.1%
Iron 5.0%
Calcium 3.6%
Sodium 2.8%
Potassium 2.6%
Magnesium 2.1%
All others 1.5%

O & Si = 75% of crustal rocks by weight

Mineral Groups
Oxide Group oxygen and iron (hematite)
Sulfide group a metal plus sulfur
(galena)
(chalcopyrite CuFeS
2
& pyrite)
Carbonate Minerals contain (CO
3
)
-2
Calcite is the principal mineral of
limestone and marble.
Silicates oxygen and silicon with or
without metallic elements.

The Value of Minerals
Appearance
Rarity
Quality
Use

The Key to Buying Diamonds
REMEMBER GRAPHITE and
DIAMONDS ARE both CARBON
Color colorless to shades of yellow
Clarity no internal flaws to internal flaws
Carat the size of the diamond
Cut the way it reflects light back to the
observer. Shape can also vary based upon
personal preferences.
Shop for price but remember to compare exactly
the same characteristics from store to store.
Cut
The cut determines how well light will refract
through the diamond which enhances the
appearance of it.
Color
The scale goes from D (exceptional white color)
to S-Z which is yellow or some other color.
Clarity
Clarity refers to any impurities in the diamond
that detract from its brilliance.
Get Educated Before You Shop
Educate yourself by going to www.gia.edu

This is the Gemological Institute of America,
an organization that certifies the quality of
the gem that you buy.

Remember the old adage Let the buyer
beware.
The Fifth C in Diamonds
COST is the fifth C in my opinion.

At a web site, the following are available:
Round 1.01 carats D color and IF clarity at $16,397
Round 1.06 carats L color and SI1 clarity at $3,340.
The examples show how costs varies with the
characteristics of the stone.
Diamond Zone
440,000psi -752 degrees F
1
6
1
k
m

How diamond arrive at surface of Earth