Download Properties of Common Rock Forming Minerals

Name_________________
Properties of Common Rock Forming Minerals
Introduction
The crust of the Earth is made up of rocks which in turn are made up of over 2000 naturally occurring chemical
elements and compounds that we call minerals. Only a small number of these make up the vast majority of the
rocks. These are called the common rock forming minerals. This activity is designed to help you practice your
ability to understand and analyze information or “scientific data”.
Procedure
The table below provides a great deal of information about some of these “common rock forming” minerals.
Use the information in the table below along with your ESRT to answer the questions. Read the questions
carefully and make sure that you are answering what is being asked. Mineral hardness is a measure of how
difficult it is to scratch the surface of the mineral. Density is a comparative measure of the mass of a certain
volume of the mineral, measuring how tightly packed the molecules are. Cleavage planes are the flat surfaces
that result when a mineral is broken.
Data Table
Mineral
Potassium Feldspar
Quartz
Calcite
Muscovite Mica
Selenite Gypsum
Amphibole
(Hornblende)
Olivine
Galena
Pyroxene
Fluorite
Halite
Approximate Hardness
(Moh’s Scale)
6.0
7.0
3.0
2.0
2.0
5.5
Density
2.6
2.6
2.3
2.9
2.3
3.1
Number of Cleavage
Planes
2
None
3
1
1
2
6.5
2.5
5.0
4.0
2.5
3.3
7.6
3.2
3.1
2.3
None
4
2
1
3
Questions
1. ____________________
Which mineral has the greatest density?
2. ____________________
Which mineral has the lowest density?
3. ____________________
Which mineral is the hardest?
4. ____________________
Which mineral is the softest?
5. ____________________
How many minerals have a hardness greater than Amphibole?
6. ____________________
How many minerals have fewer cleavage planes than Potassium Feldspar?
7. ____________________
How many minerals have densities greater than that of Quartz?
8. ____________________
How many minerals have a hardness less than Fluorite?
9. ____________________
Which minerals has a hardness value half that of Galena?
10. ____________________
Which mineral has a hardness value 3 times greater than
Muscovite Mica?
11. ____________________
How many minerals would be scratched by Fluorite?
12. ____________________
How many minerals would scratch Pyroxene?
13. ____________________
Name one mineral that would scratch Olivine?
14. ____________________
Name one mineral that would be scratched by Halite?
15. ____________________
How many minerals are Silicates (contain both Silicon and Oxygen)?
16. ____________________
How many minerals contain Magnesium or Aluminum?
17. ____________________
Which minerals have cubic cleavage?
18. ____________________
Which mineral bubbles with acid?
19. ____________________
Which mineral will scratch pyroxene but is less dense than it, and it has
cleavage.
Which mineral is softer than Amphibole and contains Potassium.
20. ____________________
Conclusion Do the Crossword Puzzle Below.
MINERALS
Across
1. Breaking of a mineral along irregular surface
5. Flat surfaces that result when a mineral is broken
6. Name of person who invented hardness scale
8. Naturally occurring inorganic solid
9. Ability of a mineral to resist scratching
Down
2. Mineral that fizzes with acid
3. The most abundant element in Earth's crust
4. A shiny luster
5. Easily noticed property that is unreliable in
identification
7. Color of the powder from a mineral