The Lithosphere

1. The Lithosphere

• The lithosphere is the hard shell of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the topmost part of the upper mantle.

• It is an average of 100km thick.

• It contains the minerals, rocks and soils that humans have used for building materials, metals and agriculture.

Rocks

• Rocks are heterogenous solids composed of many minerals.

• The physical and chemical properties of rocks are not strictly defined.

• There are 3 types of rocks:1. Igneous

2. Sedimentary

3. Metamorphic

1. Igneous Rocks

• Formed when magma (molten rock) cools and solidifies– eg: granite

2. Sedimentary Rocks• Formed by the accumulation and

compaction of debris at the bottom of lakes and oceans.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock used in construction

3. Metamorphic Rocks

• Former igneous or sedimentary rocks that have been transformed by heat or pressure underground.– eg: granite turns to gneiss – eg: limestone turns to marble

Rock Cycle

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Minerals

• Minerals are solid inorganic substances with clearly defined composition and properties.

• In most minerals atoms are organized in the form of identically shaped crystals.

• Each mineral has its own distinct chemical composition.

• 4000 different minerals exist on Earth.

Examples of Minerals

• Gold (Au)• Copper (Cu)• Iron (Fe)

• Quartz (SiO2)

• Copper sulfate (CuSO4)

Gold OreQuartz

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Classifying Minerals

Minerals are classified according to the following 4 properties:

1. Colour

2. Transparency

3. Hardness

4. Streak

1. Colour

• Idiochromatic minerals have a characteristic colour.

eg: azurite is blue

• Allochromatic minerals vary in colour.

eg: quartz

2. Transparency

Minerals are one of the following:

• Transparent (let light pass through)

• Translucent (let light through but blurred)

• Opaque (no light passes through)

3. Hardness• Minerals are classified according to how

hard they are. • Mohs scale assigns a value from 1 to 10

to indicate a mineral’s hardness.– Talc is soft and scores a 1 on Mohs scale– Quartz scores a 7 – Diamond scores a 10

4. Streak

• When a mineral is rubbed on a surface it leaves a powder streak that is a characteristic colour for that mineral.

Identifying Minerals 7:54

Mining of Minerals

Mining of Minerals

• Minerals are extracted from rock ores which are mined from the lithosphere.

• Quebec is known for large deposits of gold, copper, zinc, and most recently diamonds.

• Once the ore is extracted, the mineral is separated from the rock by chemical and physical means.

Identifying Minerals Bonus Identifying Minerals Bonus ActivityActivity