Mineral exercise

Note to my Environmental Science class!

This exercise is to be completed over the course of 2 class periods. You WILL finish this Thursday.
Make sure you finish ALL the assignment ON TIME, I will deduct large quantities of points unless I know that you didn't goof off and really did work hard on your assignment. If you are absent we'll work it out, but you'll need to see me first!

Should you finish early, you should use the links I've provided to study the different mineral properties (listed below) so you know them for your test on Monday. Either way you should have more than enough to stay busy both days!

LSB

Read on!!!

Go to the following web sites to find minerals that show the properties listed as numbers 1 through 32 BELOW ALL THE LINKS TO RESOURCE WEB PAGES.
(computer #1 does #1 only, computer #2 does only #2, etc.)

Explain the property, then list a mineral which exhibits that property.

Write a report/essay about the mineral, and include the following: all it's distinguishing properties, particularly those most useful in identifying the mineral, plus it's importance or uses - if it has any - and locations where major deposits can be found.

This is a WRITING assignment, and WILL be graded on grammar, punctuation, and spelling as per the school guidelines posted on the NE wall of my room.

Now, you first must understand each mineral property, so you may wish to go to the mineral intro link before you attempt to do any writing. Get a good understanding of the property about which you are to write. Then go to the different web sites via the links from this page, find the property, and go for it!

One site which is particulary good for mineral property descriptions is the Physical Geology page at Blackhawk College:

Physical Geology

When you get to this web site, click on the link for lecture materials in the left margin, then scroll down and click on "Mineral Systems and Physical Properties". Read that material; when you finish, click on the link at the page bottom "Additional information and identification exercises can be found at:
Mineral Physical Properties and Mineral Identification ". This will take you to the lab materials which will only help your understanding of mineral properties.

Now go to the different web sites below via the links from this page, find a mineral that shows the specific property you are to find, and go for it!

Introductory material about mineral properties by David J. Leveson

mineral intro links

This is Amethyst Galleries, a commercial web site which has lot's of good information!

http://galleries.com/minerals/physical.htm

A large mineral database with much useful information about minerals and mineral properties.

http://webmineral.com

This is a Union College (Schenectady, NY)
mineralogy page...

http://www.union.edu/PUBLIC/GEODEPT/COURSES/geo-10/mineral.htm

This is a mineral identification key - which also explains how to identify minerals using their various properties.

http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/mineral_id/index.html

This is probably the most detailed database about minerals on the Internet.

http://www.mindat.org

This is a site with MANY links to other web pages about minerals and mineral properties.

University of Wuerzburg mineralogy links

Another database which lists minerals by name....

Minerals By Name

Here are the mineral properties listed by computer number about which you are to research.

Note: Find a mineral that exhibits the property shown, then write about the mineral; include anything about that mineral (including the specific property which you will need to describe)which would help in it's identification. Include localities where it can be found (especially any famous locations), general occurrence, related minerals, crystal form, any non-crystal forms, what are its uses, etc.

Computer# - mineral property

1. Has a silky luster
2. Has a fibrous luster.
3. Has a conchoidal fracture
4. Has a reddish brown streak.
5. Has a yellow streak
6. Is an ore of mercury
7. Has double refraction
8. Shows dichroism
9. Has a hardness of 1 (some mineral other than talc)
10. Has a Hardness of 8 (some mineral other than topaz)
11. Has a Pearly luster
12. Has a rosette noncrystal form or habit
13. Has a radiating noncrystal form or habit
14. Has dodecahedral cleavage
15. Has octahedral cleavage
16. Has a dendritic noncrystal form or habit
17. Shows flexible tenacity
18. Shows elastic tenacity
19. Is malleable tenacity
20. It fluoresces a green color
21. Is radioactive
22. Is magnetic - exhibits magnetism.(Do a mineral other than magnetite)
23. Shows effervescence (a mineral other than calcite) NOTE: this is NOT the band Evanescence....
24. Has asterism
25. Has a Red streak
26. Crystals are in the Hexagonal crystal system
27. Crystals are in the Cubic (or isometric) crystal system
28. Crystals are in the Triclinic crystal system
29. Crystals are in the Monoclinic crystal system
30. Has a Blue streak
31. Has a Green streak
32. Crystals are in the Tetragonal crystal system

Part 2

Go to the following web site, (http://www.agiweb.org/careers.html ) pick out a career, and write a short report about it. Include anything which would help someone to understand the job, and also include salaries.

Research the web site too, go to the different links, and learn about the AGI. I'll have questions about it on a quiz on Tuesday along with questions over mineral properties. (Examples of possible questions include: What is streak? What is fracture? etc.)

What is the AGI?

http://www.agiweb.org/careers.html

One last detail. If you STILL don't know what the different mineral properties are, then go back to the pages listed above and review them.

For 4 points extra credit, define the following terms - you CAN do a "cut and paste" - print them out, and turn them in on Monday. Partial credit can be obtained for doing only part of these too.

These WILL be on your test Monday!

1. Luster
2. Tenacity
3. streak
4. specific gravity
5. hefting
6. fluorescence
7. cleavage
8. fracture
9. cubic crystal system
10. tetragonal crystal system
11. orthorhombic crystal system
12. hexagonal crystal system
13. monoclinic crystal system
14. triclinic crystal system
15. Hardness
16. effervescence
17. Diaphaneity
18. Double refraction