Deck 3: Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks

Question 1

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

Answer 1

Resources are concentrations of a useful commodity that may be known or unknown.A reserve is the part of the resource that is known and can be economically recovered.There are several factors that may make a resource into a reserve,including geographic location,the value of the commodity,the distance of the commodity from where it will be used,the market price,and the technology available for recovering the commodity.

Question 2

How do a rock and a mineral differ?

Answer 2

A rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of minerals,while minerals are naturally occurring,inorganic crystalline solids.Rocks are made up of minerals,not vice versa.

Question 3

Why do some minerals form regular crystals and some do not? Even the same mineral,like quartz,may form beautiful crystals or irregular blobs.

Answer 3

While all minerals are crystalline solids in which their atoms are arranged in a three-dimensional framework,some minerals grow to possess planar surfaces,sharp corners,and straight edges because they have space to grow into their crystal form.Minerals that do not form crystals grow in proximity with other crystals and do not have space to form a regular crystal.

Question 4

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

Question 5

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

Question 6

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

Name and draw one example for each of the following types of tetrahedra: isolated tetrahedra,single chain tetrahedra,double chain tetrahedra,sheet tetrahedra,and framework tetrahedra

Question 9

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

Question 10

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 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

Discuss how carbon atoms come together to form diamond.

Question 14

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

Question 15

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?

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

How are fracture and cleavage the same,and how are they different?

Question 19

What does the constancy of interfacial angles refer to? How did Nicholas Steno explain his observation?

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

How many minerals have been identified and described?

Question 23

What is a rock-forming mineral?

Question 24

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

Question 25

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

Question 26

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

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

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

Question 31

Give an example of a ferromagnesian silicate.

Question 32

What is meant when minerals are referred to as "crystalline solids?"

Question 33

How many minerals are common?

Question 34

What is a rock?

Question 35

What is a simple chemical test that will distinguish calcite from non-carbonate minerals?

Question 36

How does a mineral reserve differ from a mineral resource?

Question 37

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

Question 38

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

Question 39

Give an example of a native element.

Question 40

Give an example of a nonferromagnesian silicate.

Question 41

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

Question 42

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

Question 43

C¹² has 6 protons.How many protons does C¹³ have? ____________________ How many neutrons does C¹³ have? ____________________ Nitrogen-14 (N¹⁴)has 6 protons and 8 neutrons-true or false? ____________________

Question 44

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

Question 45

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

Question 46

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 47

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

Question 48

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

Question 49

The two basic types of luster are ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 50

Minerals are chemically classified by their ____________________ or ____________________.

Question 51

The chemical formula KAlS₃O₈ means that the mineral orthoclase is composed of one atom of K and one of Al for every ____________________ of Si and ____________________ of O.

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

Question 54

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

Question 55

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 56

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

Question 57

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

Question 58

Tightly bonded,complex groups of different atoms that act as single units (e.g. ,carbonate)are known as ____________________.

Question 59

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

Question 60

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

Question 61

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 62

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 63

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 64

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

Question 65

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

A)sand
B)gold
C)petroleum
D)salt
E)all of the above

Question 66

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 67

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 68

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 69

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 the chemical characteristics of that element.
D)a combination of elements.
E)a negatively-charged particle that orbits the nucleus.

Question 70

Nearly all types of minerals are beautiful and valuable.

Question 71

All minerals are compounds.

Question 72

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 73

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 74

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

Question 75

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 76

Elements bond together to form molecules because they:

A)are most stable when their outer electron shell is filled.
B)need to have a positive charge.
C)need to have a negative charge.
D)are glued together by positrons.
E)none of the above

Question 77

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 78

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,ice,quartz,topaz,diamond,corundum
D)water,mercury,metallic hydrogen,limestone
E)petroleum,coal,iron,feldspar,basalt

Question 79

Cleavage is defined as:

A)planes of fracture resulting from weak bonds.
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 80

Ice is a mineral,but snowflakes are not.