minerals and rocks

What are minerals and rocks?

- Rock is natural, solid, nonliving material made of one or more minerals.

- Mineral is natural, nonliving material that makes up rock.

Minerals and rocks

rocks get their properties from the minerals they contain.

The properties of rocks include color and texture.

Grains are bits of minerals. They are big enough to see them.

Texture is the size and pattern of a rock`s grains.

quartz

granite

Get properties from Minerals they

contain

each has its own

properties

Natural, nonliving material

Rocks Minerals

Identifying Minerals

property

1

Color is a property of a mineral that is easy to see. But some minerals can be found in different colors. Quartz pink purple yellow

brown white black

The mineral magnetite has the property of magnetism. Objects that contain iron are pulled to the magnetite.

Color

2

Another way to identify a mineral is by the color in its power form.

When you rub a mineral across a rough surface, it may leave a

streak mark or powder.

luster

3

Luster is a property that describes how a mineral reflects light. Minerals pearly silky

greasy glassy

dull metallic

Testing hardness

4

Talc is a mineral that is so soft you can scratch it with your fingernail.

The hardest mineral is diamond.

Sulfur is slightly harder than talc. But you can scratch it with your fingernail.

cleavage

5

cleavage is how minerals break apart along weak.

Some minerals break in one direction.

Other minerals break in two or more directions. Mica breaks in one direction. Diamonds break in four directions

Mica

Igneous rock

Melted rock sometimes forms beneath Earth`s surface.

Igneous rock forms when melted rock cools slowly below ground. Then the mineral grains in the igneous rock may be large. The melted rock comes to the surface and cools quickly. Then

the grains may be too small to see.

Igneous rock can come from volcanoes.

Igneous rock

Sedimentary rock

Sedimentary rock is the rock that forms from sediments.Sediments are tiny bits of rock, shells, and other materials.

Sediments settle to the bottom

Rivers

lakes

oceans

Over millions of years, the sediments are pressed together and cemented to form new rock.

Sedimentary rocks form in layers-one layer at a time.

Metamorphic rock

Metamorphic rock is rock that has been changed by heat and pressure.

Shale is a sedimentary rock. Heat and pressure underground change the minerals in the shale. The shale becomes a metamorphic rock. slate

Metamorphic rock

Shale slate

Granite is an igneous rock. It can be changed into , a metamorphic rock.

gneiss