Lesson Sequence Di - Rocks and Mineral Properties
Lesson Sequence Di - Rocks and Mineral Properties
Rocks vs.
Minerals A rock is a naturally There are 3
formed inorganic object main types of
rocks:
composed of one or sedimentary,
more minerals found in igneous, and
the Earth’s crust. metamorphic
• Minerals have diagnostic properties that we can
use to identify an unknown mineral. These include:
• Color
Mineral • Luster
• Streak
Properties • Hardness
• Cleavage
• Fracture
• Specific Gravity
Color can be helpful in
determining what mineral you
have but it is not the
determining factor
Color
Color may indicate the chemical
composition of a mineral
Luster refers to how shiny or dull
a mineral is
Hardness
Hardness is quantified on the Mohs
scale on a 10-number scale
The softest (1) The hardest
is talc (10) is diamond
Mineral Groups
Minerals can be divided into subgroups based on their
chemical composition
Types of
Rocks
Within these three types of rocks, we can
further break them down into smaller
categories of rocks with similar
properties.
How are all rocks
related?
Igneous rocks can be formed
from sedimentary, metamorphic,
or other igneous rocks
Igneous
Rocks Rocks that are pushed under the
Earth’s surface are melted into
magma when exposed to high
temperatures
Textures of Igneous Rocks