Study Guide – Chapter 4 – Minerals Section 4.1 What is a mineral?

1. A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic

solid with a specific chemical composition and a

definite crystalline structure

2. Salt and other minerals are inorganic. They

were never alive, unlike sugar, which comes

from a plant

3. No, minerals are always solids

4. Yes, the chemical compositions of some

minerals can vary within a certain range

5. A crystal is a solid in which the atoms are

arranged in repeating patterns

6. The internal atomic arrangement is not so

readily apparent. The crystals did not have room

to grow into well-defined shapes

7. The atoms in the mineral are arranged in a

regular geometric pattern that repeats.

8. The composition of feldspars only changes

within a very narrow range

9. true

10. true

11. false

12. true

13. false

14. true

15. false

16. color

17. luster

18. texture

19. streak

20. hardness

21. cleavage

22. fracture

23. specific gravity

24. No, the streak test can be used only on minerals

that are softer than the streak plate.

25. Yes, some minerals have more than one cleavage

plane. For example, halite has cubic cleavage, which

means it breaks along planes in three directions.

26. Density is the ratio of the mass of a substance

divided by its volume, while specific gravity is the

ratio of the weight of a substance to the weight of an

equal volume of water at 4°C.

27. There are ten minerals on the Mohs scale.

They range from the softest mineral, talc, representing

1, to the hardest mineral, diamond, representing 10.

28. b

29. d

30. c

31. a

32. c

33. c

34. a

35. b

36. c

Section 4.2 Identify Minerals

1. A mineral is an ore if it contains a useful substance

that can be mined at a profit

2. No, bauxite is the ore that contains the element

aluminum

3. If the cost of removing waste material from an ore

becomes higher than the value of the ore, or if the

supply of or demand for the mineral decreases, the

mineral would no longer be considered an ore

4. by underground mining

5. by open-pit mining

6. It can be expensive. It can be harmful to the

environment.

7. carbonates

8. silicates

9. carbonates

10. silicates

11. oxides

12. oxides

13. silicates

14. carbonates

15. ore

16. underground mining

17. open-pit mines

18. overburden

19. gem

20. emeralds

21. trace elements

22. abrasive