Deck 5: Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Question 1

Crystals that exhibit well-formed faces are referred to as

A) pristine.
B) anhedral.
C) subhedral.
D) euhedral.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT true about minerals?

A) All minerals are compounds of more than one element.
B) All minerals are naturally made.
C) Some minerals are precipitated by organisms.
D) All minerals can be expressed as chemical formulas.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following are good conductors due to the ability of the electrons in the atoms to move around freely?

A) native metals
B) sulfides
C) silicates
D) carbonates

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Naturally forming glass (such as obsidian)is NOT considered a mineral because it

A) is not produced by geologic processes.
B) is organic.
C) does not have a fixed crystalline structure.
D) can be made synthetically as well as occur naturally.

Question 5

Minerals are all naturally occurring solid substances with a definable chemical composition.They must also possess

A) the ability to be synthesized in the laboratory as well as be found in nature.
B) metallic elements,such as iron,calcium,or magnesium.
C) metallic luster.
D) a fixed crystalline structure (spatial arrangement of atoms and ions).

Question 6

SiO₄^4-,S^2-,and CO₃^2- are all examples of

A) organic compounds.
B) silicate minerals.
C) anions.
D) cations.

Question 7

Of the ~4,000 known minerals,the vast majority

A) are common.
B) are rare.
C) form only near volcanoes.
D) are characterized as gems.

Question 8

Fewer than 50 minerals are

A) found on the Earth.
B) used for industrial purposes.
C) found in the crust.
D) commonly found in rocks.

Question 9

The most recently formed portion of any crystal is always found

A) deep within the interior.
B) on the outer edges.
C) on whichever side is currently facing upward.
D) There is no consistent pattern for crystal formation.

Question 10

When two different minerals have the same chemical formula but different crystal structures,they are said to be

A) polymorphs.
B) polyliths.
C) monoliths.
D) pseudomorphs.

Question 11

Diamond and graphite are both polymorphs of

A) silicon.
B) iron.
C) magnesium.
D) carbon.

Question 12

Minerals can crystallize in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) solidification of a melt (lava/magma).
B) bonding carbon to oxygen atoms to form organic compounds.
C) solid-state diffusion.
D) biomineralization.

Question 13

When a solution becomes oversaturated,new solid particles are said to

A) precipitate from the solution.
B) dissolve into the solution.
C) react with the solution and produce heat.
D) rapidly expand,causing an explosion.

Question 14

The atomic mass of an element approximately equals the number of

A) electrons.
B) protons plus neutrons.
C) neutrons.
D) protons.

Question 15

The pattern of atoms in a crystal can be detected using

A) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
B) X-ray diffraction.
C) thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS).
D) cathodized axial tomography (CAT).

Question 16

Which of the following choices lists atomic particles ordered from smallest to largest in size?

A) atom,nucleus,proton,electron
B) electron,proton,nucleus,atom
C) proton,electron,nucleus,atom
D) atom,electron,nucleus,proton

Question 17

Which of the following minerals is more commonly known as table salt?

A) gypsum
B) feldspar
C) halite
D) quartz

Question 18

Which of the following is a mineral?

A) petroleum (oil),which is a liquid
B) cubic zirconia,which is a synthetic diamond substitute
C) ice,which is water in the solid state
D) obsidian,a type of volcanic glass

Question 19

The atomic number of an element corresponds to the

A) number of electrons.
B) number of protons.
C) number of neutrons.
D) total weight of one atom.

Question 20

Minerals in geodes (as seen below)form spectacular euhedral crystals because

A) all of the elements incorporated in the crystals are in plentiful supply.
B) the crystals have abundant room to grow in their hollow surroundings.
C) minerals within geodes are always framework silicates.
D) minerals within geodes always contain iron.

Question 21

Which of the following common minerals is hardest?

A) quartz
B) calcite
C) talc
D) fluorite

Question 22

The way a mineral scatters light is a diagnostic property termed

A) color.
B) reflectivity.
C) luster.
D) streak.

Question 23

Calcite (CaCO₃)is in which mineral class?

A) silicates
B) carbonates
C) oxides
D) sulfides

Question 24

Minerals are grouped into mineral classes primarily on the basis of

A) chemistry,specifically the cations within the chemical formula.
B) chemistry,specifically the anions within the chemical formula.
C) hardness; hard,soft,and medium are the three primary classes.
D) the number of cleavage directions present.

Question 25

For the majority of minerals,the streak obtained when the mineral is scratched against a porcelain plate is

A) only useful if the mineral is softer than the porcelain streak plate.
B) always diagnostic of that mineral.
C) not useful,because the porcelain will often chemically react with the mineral.
D) always dark brown or black.

Question 26

The image below shows a mineral specimen of quartz.What is the term for the smoothly curving,clamshell-shaped surface on the sample?

A) conchoidal fracture
B) facet
C) cleavage plane
D) striation

Question 27

The color of a mineral in powdered form is termed

A) color.
B) specific gravity.
C) luster.
D) streak.

Question 28

Pyrite (FeS₂)is in which mineral class?

A) silicates
B) carbonates
C) oxides
D) sulfides

Question 29

Which of the following common minerals is softest?

A) quartz
B) calcite
C) talc
D) fluorite

Question 30

The image below shows a mineral with hydrochloric acid applied to it.Based on the reaction and presence of gas bubbles,which of the following minerals is this most likely to be?

A) quartz
B) halite
C) calcite
D) fluorite

Question 31

A mineral property defined as the density of the mineral sample divided by the density of water (1.0 g/cm³)is

A) mass.
B) specific gravity.
C) luster.
D) streak.

Question 32

Ore minerals,such as galena and hematite,tend to be different from typical minerals in that they have a

A) very dark color.
B) diamond-like crystal habit.
C) high specific gravity.
D) vitreous luster.

Question 33

Hardness refers to a mineral's ability to resist

A) breaking.
B) being scratched.
C) chemically reacting with other substances.
D) weathering.

Question 34

Minerals that do not possess cleavage are said to possess

A) invulnerability.
B) fracture.
C) solidity.
D) massiveness.

Question 35

Which of the following is the most important characteristic used to identify minerals?

A) color
B) luster
C) cleavage
D) Multiple properties must be used to identify a mineral.

Question 36

The tendency for minerals to break along distinct planar surfaces that have a specific orientation in relation to the crystal structure is called

A) fracture.
B) cleavage.
C) specific gravity.
D) hardness.

Question 37

Glass and quartz crystals exhibit a smoothly curving,clamshell-shaped fracture pattern termed

A) glassy fracture.
B) conchoidal fracture.
C) one-directional cleavage.
D) obtuse fracture.

Question 38

The image below shows a mineral specimen of pyrite.What is the term for the thin parallel corrugations or stripes shown on the crystal faces below?

A) conchoidal fractures
B) facets
C) cleavage planes
D) striations

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the color of minerals?

A) Some minerals have a consistent color,but many have a range of possible colors.
B) The streak color tends to be less variable than the color of a whole mineral.
C) Color is often controlled by impurities or minor chemical components of the mineral.
D) A mineral's color reflects the wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the mineral.

Question 40

Using the Mohs hardness scale below,which of the following statements is false?

A) Your fingernail can scratch a sample of gypsum.
B) Diamonds are twice as hard as apatite.
C) Diamonds are more than seven times as hard as quartz.
D) Quartz will scratch anything made of steel.

Question 41

The diamonds we typically see today in engagement rings do not display their natural crystal faces but rather ________,which are made by grinding the gem on a spinning lap.

A) striations
B) facets
C) cleavage planes
D) facades

Question 42

Silicate minerals are subdivided into six groups based on the way silica tetrahedra are

A) bonded to anions.
B) bonded to iron atoms.
C) arranged and bonded.
D) arranged and charged.

Question 43

Which common gemstone results from biomineralization?

A) diamond
B) garnet
C) pearl
D) sapphire

Question 44

Gemstones are often found in pegmatites,which are igneous rocks that are

A) exceptionally mafic.
B) extrusive,forming from lava.
C) exceptionally coarse grained.
D) exceptionally fine grained.

Question 45

Diamonds are usually found in a rock called

A) graphite.
B) kimberlite.
C) gabbro.
D) diorite.

Question 46

What are the ways a mineral can crystallize in nature? List and explain each in some detail.

Question 47

In which type of silicates are the greatest proportion of oxygen atoms shared by pairs of adjacent tetrahedra?

A) chain silicates
B) framework silicates
C) sheet silicates
D) ring silicates.

Question 48

Based on the definition of a mineral,explain why a diamond created in a laboratory is not considered a mineral.

Question 49

In silicate minerals,the SiO₄ tetrahedron can be chemically bonded to form all of the following EXCEPT

A) sheets.
B) independent tetrahedra.
C) double chains.
D) triple chains.

Question 50

How are minerals classified? List the major classes of minerals and their pertinent anions.

Question 51

Draw and label a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron.

Question 52

Trace amounts of impurity can produce significant differences in ________ among individual crystals of a mineral species.

A) color
B) cleavage
C) luster
D) streak

Question 53

Some physical properties are more useful for certain minerals than others.Explain how color may NOT be useful to identify some minerals.

Question 54

Diamond is a polymorph of graphite.What is a polymorph,and explain how graphite is different from a diamond.

Question 55

Which two gems are varieties of the mineral corundum (Al₂O₃)?

A) emeralds and rubies
B) emeralds and sapphires
C) aquamarines and emeralds
D) sapphires and rubies

Question 56

Describe several examples of minerals that can be harmful and the hazards they pose.

Question 57

What are cleavage and fracture? How are these physical properties similar? How are they different?

Question 58

The mineral class that makes up more than 95 percent of the continental crust is termed the

A) silicates.
B) carbonates.
C) halides.
D) oxides.

Question 59

How are diamonds formed?

Question 60

Why are minerals often referred to as "the building blocks of Earth?"