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Which Mineral is Which? |
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Background A mineral is a naturally occurring solid substance with a definite chemical composition and atomic arrangement. Found in Earthís surface, it differs from a rock in that it is one substance, where a rock is usually more than one mineral cemented together by tectonic forces. Minerals are all around us, even in our bodies, and are essential to life. They can fulfill several purposes, from decoration to trade to the creation of technological devices. Minerals are usually composed of more than one element, although some minerals, gold, copper, silver to name a few, are only one. The large number of naturally occurring elements form more than 2000 different minerals. A substance must be inorganic, solid and occurring naturally in the Earth to be classified as a mineral. It must have a definite chemical composition and an orderly atomic structure. Its molecules have a fixed proportion and a definite geometric pattern. This orderly arrangement of atoms determines the crystal shape of mineral. There are six basic crystal shapes: isometric, tetragonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic and hexagonal. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks on the Earth. About twelve minerals comprise most of Earthís crust. Resources/Materials/Supplies Video Sessions 1 & 2 Internet Access Art materials to create an artistic display of the ten minerals. Description In this activity students will: While viewing, note the minerals described. Write down descriptive phrases/words. Read about mineralsí identifying characteristics using Hot Links, texts and encyclopedias. Share information from the Hot Links. Work with the teacher as "secretary" to list the properties and identifying characteristics of minerals and discover:
Work with a small group to solve the mineral mystery described in the studentís page. |