Scribd
Upload
39 views4 pages

Mi

sdsa

Uploaded by

Partha Sarathi Mondal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
39 views4 pages

Mi

sdsa

Uploaded by

Partha Sarathi Mondal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

For other uses, see Mineral (disambiguation).

Amethyst, a variety of quartz


A mineral is a naturally occurring substance that is solid and inorganic
representable by a chemical formula, usually abiogenic, and has an ordered
atomic structure. It is different from a rock, which can be an aggregate of
minerals or non-minerals and does not have a specific chemical composition.
The exact definition of a mineral is under debate, especially with respect to
the requirement a valid species be abiogenic, and to a lesser extent with
regard to it having an ordered atomic structure.[citation needed] The study of
minerals is called mineralogy.

There are over 4,900 known mineral species; over 4,660 of these have been
approved by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). The silicate
minerals compose over 90% of the Earth's crust. The diversity and
abundance of mineral species is controlled by the Earth's chemistry. Silicon
and oxygen constitute approximately 75% of the Earth's crust, which
translates directly into the predominance of silicate minerals. Minerals are
distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in
chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish various species, and
these properties in turn are influenced by the mineral's geological
environment of formation. Changes in the temperature, pressure, or bulk
composition of a rock mass cause changes in its minerals.

Minerals can be described by various physical properties which relate to their


chemical structure and composition. Common distinguishing characteristics
include crystal structure and habit, hardness, lustre, diaphaneity, colour,
streak, tenacity, cleavage, fracture, parting, and specific gravity. More
specific tests for minerals include magnetism, taste or smell, radioactivity
and reaction to acid.

Minerals are classified by key chemical constituents; the two dominant


systems are the Dana classification and the Strunz classification. The silicate
class of minerals is subdivided into six subclasses by the degree of
polymerization in the chemical structure. All silicate minerals have a base
unit of a [SiO4]4 silica tetrahedrathat is, a silicon cation coordinated by
four oxygen anions, which gives the shape of a tetrahedron. These tetrahedra
can be polymerized to give the subclasses: orthosilicates (no polymerization,

thus single tetrahedra), disilicates (two tetrahedra bonded together),


cyclosilicates (rings of tetrahedra), inosilicates (chains of tetrahedra),
phyllosilicates (sheets of tetrahedra), and tectosilicates (three-dimensional
network of tetrahedra). Other important mineral groups include the native
elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, and phosphates.

Contents [hide]
1 Definition
1.1 Basic definition
1.2 Recent advances
1.3 Rocks, ores, and gems
1.4 Nomenclature and classification
2 Mineral chemistry
3 Physical properties of minerals
3.1 Crystal structure and habit
3.2 Hardness
3.3 Lustre and diaphaneity
3.4 Colour and streak
3.5 Cleavage, parting, fracture, and tenacity
3.6 Specific gravity
3.7 Other properties
4 Mineral classes
4.1 Silicates
4.2 Non-silicates
5 Astrobiology
6 See also
7 Bibliography
8 References

9 External links
Definition
Basic definition
The general definition of a mineral encompasses the following criteria:[1]

Naturally occurring
Stable at room temperature
Represented by a chemical formula
Usually abiogenic (not resulting from the activity of living organisms)
Ordered atomic arrangement
The first three general characteristics are less debated than the last two.[1]
The first criterion means that a mineral has to form by a natural process,
which excludes anthropogenic compounds. Stability at room temperature, in
the simplest sense, is synonymous to the mineral being solid. More
specifically, a compound has to be stable or metastable at 25 C. Classical
examples of exceptions to this rule include native mercury, which crystallizes
at 39 C, and water ice, which is solid only below 0 C; as these two
minerals were described prior to 1959, they were grandfathered by the
International Mineralogical Association (IMA).[2][3] Modern advances have
included extensive study of liquid crystals, which also extensively involve
mineralogy. Minerals are chemical compounds, and as such they can be
described by fixed or a variable formula. Many mineral groups and species
are composed of a solid solution; pure substances are not usually found
because of contamination or chemical substitution. For example, the olivine
group is described by the variable formula (Mg, Fe)2SiO4, which is a solid
solution of two end-member species, magnesium-rich forsterite and iron-rich
fayalite, which are described by a fixed chemical formula. Mineral species
themselves could have a variable compositions, such as the sulfide
mackinawite, (Fe, Ni)9S8, which is mostly a ferrous sulfide, but has a very
significant nickel impurity that is reflected in its formula.[1][4]

The requirement of a valid mineral species to be abiogenic has also been


described as similar to have to be inorganic; however, this criterion is
imprecise and organic compounds have been assigned a separate
classification branch. Finally, the requirement of an ordered atomic
arrangement is usually synonymous to being crystalline; however, crystals

are periodic in addition to being ordered, so the broader criterion is used


instead.[1] The presence of an ordered atomic arrangement translates to a
variety of macroscopic physical properties, such as crystal form, hardness,
and cleavage.[5] There have been several recent proposals to amend the
definition to consider biogenic or amorphous substances as minerals. The
formal definition of a mineral approved by the IMA in 1995:

"A mineral is an element or chemical compound that is normally crystalline


and that has been formed as a result of geological processes."[6]

In addition, biogenic substances were explicitly excluded:

"Biogenic substances are chemical compounds produced entirely by


biological processes without a geological component (e.g., urinary calculi,
oxalate crystals in plant tissues, shells of marine molluscs, etc.) and are not
regarded as minerals. However, if geological processes were involved in the
genesis of the compound, then the product can be accepted as a mineral."[6]

Recent advances
Mineral classification schemes and their definitions are evolving to match
recent advances in mineral science. Recent changes have included the
addition of an organic class, in both the new Dana and the Strunz
classification schemes.[7][8] The organic class includes a very rare group of
minerals with hydrocarbons. The IMA Commission on New Minerals and
Mineral Names adopted in 2009 a hierarchical scheme for the naming and
classification of mineral groups and group names[9] and established seven
commissions and four working groups to review and classify minerals into an
official listing of

You might also like