Deck 3: Minerals: the Building Blocks of Rocks

Question 1

In what two ways do minerals form from magma? What types of minerals dominate the minerals that make up igneous rocks?

Answer 1

Depending upon the rate that magma cools, minerals crystallize and grow. Basalts that cool faster (on the surface of the Earth) are dominated by ferromagnesian (poor in silica or quartz) minerals and granites that cool slowly below the surface of the Earth are dominated by nonferromagnesian minerals (richer in silica or quartz).

Question 2

Graphite and diamond are both made of carbon, but only one is good for pencil lead. Why is graphite useful for this task while diamond is not?

Answer 2

The carbon atoms in diamond are held together by covalent bonds; they share electrons so that each carbon atom has the noble gas configuration of eight electrons in its outermost electron shell and the bond strength in diamond is very strong. The carbon atoms in graphite are covalently bonded to form sheets, so the sheets are internally strong but are held together by weak van der Waals bonds.

Question 3

Discuss how carbon atoms come together to form diamond.

Answer 3

The electron shells of adjacent carbon atoms overlap and share electrons. This is called covalent bonding.

Question 4

Name and draw providing an example for each of the following types of tetrahedra: isolated tetrahedra, single-chain tetrahedra, double-chain tetrahedra, sheet tetrahedra, and framework tetrahedra.

Question 5

List at least five rock-forming minerals.

Question 6

How do a rock and a mineral differ?

Question 7

What makes a resource into a reserve? What is the distinction between them, and what factors does it depend on?

Question 8

What is matter? What categories of things are considered matter? What are the four states of matter?

Question 9

Why do some minerals form regular crystals and some do not? For instance, mineral such as quartz may form beautiful crystals or irregular blobs.

Question 10

What is the chemical structure of all silicate minerals, and why are silicate minerals so important?

Question 11

What is the definition of a mineral, and what do each of the parts of the definition mean?

Question 12

Describe the Mohs hardness scale and list, in increasing order of hardness, the minerals of the Mohs hardness scale.

Question 13

For each of the following subatomic particles, state where it can be found and what its charge is: proton, electron, and nucleus.

Question 14

Why do some minerals have a fixed chemical composition and some have a range of compositions? Give an example of a mineral with a range of compositions.

Question 15

What is the main feature of metallic bonding, and what properties result from this main feature?

Question 16

What is atomic bonding, and what is the result of bonding? List the types of bonding and how common they are.

Question 17

Why are minerals important economically? What effect does the distribution of minerals have on the economic well-being of nations?

Question 18

What is the difference between cleavage and fracture?

Question 19

What are radioactive isotopes, and why are they important to geologists?

Question 20

The chemical formula of halite is NaCl. In simple terms, state how these atoms come together to form a solid mineral.

Question 21

What is the most distinctive physical property of the mineral halite?

Question 22

Give one example of each of the carbonates, sulfates, sulfides, and halides.

Question 23

Give an example of a nonferromagnesian silicate.

Question 24

What is the most common mineral group, and what are three common examples?

Question 25

Which is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust?

Question 26

What is a simple chemical test that will distinguish calcite from noncarbonate minerals?

Question 27

Why do most minerals, as measured by rock volume, belong to the silicate group?

Question 28

What is a rock-forming mineral?

Question 29

What are the eight chemical elements that make up over 99% of Earth's crust?

Question 30

Name one property commonly exhibited by minerals that have van der Waals bonding.

Question 31

What is a rock?

Question 32

Name three properties commonly exhibited by minerals that have metallic bonding.

Question 33

If a diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance, how can one be "cut"?

Question 34

Give an example of a ferromagnesian silicate.

Question 35

What is the basic building block for all silicate minerals?

Question 36

What is meant when minerals are referred to as crystalline?

Question 37

Give an example of a native element.

Question 38

Diamond and graphite are two minerals with the same chemical composition, but extremely different physical properties. Why is this?

Question 39

Name any three factors that determine whether a known mineral resource in an area can become a reserve.

Question 40

How does a mineral reserve differ from a mineral resource?

Question 41

Completion
In the center of an atom is its ____________________, which is composed of positively charged particles called ____________________ and neutrally charged particles called ____________________. This central part is orbited by negatively charged particles called ____________________.

Question 42

Completion
The chemical formula KAlSi₃O₈ means that the mineral orthoclase is composed of one atom of K and one of Al for every ____________________ of Si and ____________________ of O.

Question 43

Completion
In the ____________________ type of chemical bonding, electrons are transferred between adjacent atoms.

Question 44

Completion
The atomic mass of an atom is defined as the sum of the number of its ____________________ plus ____________________.

Question 45

Completion
The atomic number of an atom is determined by the number of ____________________ in its nucleus.

Question 46

Completion
The ratio of a substance's weight, especially a mineral, to an equal volume of water at 4 ° C is called its ____________________.

Question 47

Completion
The silicon atom of the silica tetrahedron has a (+/−) ____________________ charge of ____________________ (number?) and the oxygen atoms have a (+/−) ____________________ charge of ____________________ (number?). Therefore, the ion group has an overall (+/−) ____________________ charge of ____________________ (number?).

Question 48

Completion
The basic building block of silicate minerals is the silica ____________________.

Question 49

Completion
Resources that include sand, gravel, crushed stone, salt, and sulfur are known as ____________________ resources.

Question 50

Completion
The two factors that determine whether or not an element can substitute for another element in the composition of a mineral are the ____________________ and ____________________ of the atoms.

Question 51

Completion
The most abundant rock-forming minerals are the nonferromagnesian silicates called the ____________________.

Question 52

Completion
Carbon-12 (C¹²), carbon-13 (C¹³), and carbon-14 (C¹⁴) are all ____________________ of the ____________________ carbon.

Question 53

Completion
____________________ and ____________________ are mineral compounds that are commonly produced by animals and are known as calcium ____________________.

Question 54

Completion
Atoms of the same chemical element, carbon for example, always have the same number of ____________________ in the nucleus.

Question 55

Completion
¹² C has 6 protons. How many protons does ¹³C have? ____________________ How many neutrons does ¹³C have? ____________________ Nitrogen-14 (¹⁴N) has 6 protons and 8 neutrons-true or false? ____________________

Question 56

Completion
In the ____________________ type of chemical bonding, electrons are shared between adjacent atoms.

Question 57

Completion
Different isotopes of the same element differ from each other because they have different ____________________.

Question 58

Completion
The resistance of the mineral to scratching is established by _______________.

Question 59

Completion
Minerals are chemically classified by their ____________________ or ____________________.

Question 60

Completion
The two basic types of luster are ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 61

Multiple Choice Which of the following is not true of minerals? They are(have):

A) crystalline.
B) organic.
C) naturally occurring.
D) definite chemical composition.
E) characteristic physical properties.

Question 62

True/False
Nearly all types of minerals are beautiful and valuable.

Question 63

Multiple Choice Isotopes of the same element have:

A) different numbers of protons but the same number of neutrons.
B) the same number of electrons and different numbers of neutrons.
C) different numbers of neutrons but the same number of protons.
D) different numbers of electrons but the same number of neutrons.
E) none of the above

Question 64

A neutrally charged atom that becomes a positively-charged atom of the same element can be called: a(n):

A) positron.
B) neutron.
C) ion.
D) isotope.
E) none of the above

Question 65

True/False
All minerals are compounds.

Question 66

True/False
Ice is a mineral, but snowflakes are not.

Question 67

Multiple Choice Ionic bonds occur when electrons:

A) are transferred between atoms.
B) are shared by atoms.
C) have a neutral charge.
D) have a positive charge.
E) none of the above

Question 68

Multiple Choice Covalent bonds differ from ionic bonds in that:

A) ionic bonds arise from electrical attraction between positively and negatively charged ions.
B) covalent bonds arise from the sharing of one or more electrons.
C) covalent bonds can occur between atoms of the same element.
D) A and B only
E) A, B, and C

Question 69

The primary occurrence of the rock-forming minerals olivine, pyroxene, and amphibole is:

A) igneous rocks.
B) metamorphic rocks.
C) sedimentary rocks.
D) A and B
E) all rock types

Question 70

True/False
van der Waals bonds occur between atoms or compounds without free electrons.

Question 71

Cleavage is defined as:

A) breakage along smooth planes.
B) smooth, flat reflective surfaces.
C) surfaces of smooth, curved fracture.
D) planes of fracture resulting from strong bonds.
E) none of the above

Question 72

Multiple Choice An atom is:

A) a negatively charged particle that circles a nucleus.
B) a positively charged particle within a nucleus.
C) the smallest particle into which an element can be divided while still retaining all the chemical properties of that element.
D) a combination of elements.
E) a negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus.

Question 73

An example of a material that has been both a resource and a reserve, depending on abundance, economic conditions, and mining technology, is:

A) platinum.
B) gold.
C) petroleum.
D) iron.
E) all of the above

Question 74

Common examples of sulfide and sulfate minerals, respectively, are:

A) galena and pyrite.
B) gypsum and anhydrite.
C) galena and gypsum.
D) galena and hematite.
E) fluorite and pyrite.

Question 75

Which physical property is generally the most unreliable when it comes to identifying minerals?

A) color
B) luster
C) specific gravity
D) hardness
E) none of the above

Question 76

Multiple Choice The relatively massive, positively charged particles in the nucleus of an atom are:

A) protons.
B) neutrons.
C) electrons.
D) megatrons.
E) none of the above

Question 77

Which of the following are all examples of minerals?

A) bronze, steel, glass, aluminum, pencil lead
B) gold, silver, uranium, lead, silica, iron
C) copper, feldspar, quartz, topaz, diamond, corundum
D) water, mercury, metallic hydrogen, limestone
E) petroleum, coal, iron, feldspar, basalt

Question 78

For a neutrally charged atom to become a positively charged atom of the same element, it must:

A) lose a proton.
B) lose an electron.
C) gain a proton.
D) gain an electron.
E) none of the above

Question 79

True/False
Noble gases are chemically inert because their outer electron shell is filled.

Question 80

Which of the following is an example of a mineral resource?

A) biotite
B) gold
C) muscovite
D) salt
E) all of the above