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Understanding Earth's Minerals and Properties

Minerals are naturally occurring solid elements or compounds found in the Earth's crust. They exist as natural elements like gold and silver or natural compounds like oxides, carbonates, and silicates. Each mineral has unique properties including hardness, solubility in water, and how it is affected by heat. When heated, metal sulphides and carbonates break down into metal oxides and release sulphur dioxide or carbon dioxide respectively.

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55 views9 pages

Understanding Earth's Minerals and Properties

Minerals are naturally occurring solid elements or compounds found in the Earth's crust. They exist as natural elements like gold and silver or natural compounds like oxides, carbonates, and silicates. Each mineral has unique properties including hardness, solubility in water, and how it is affected by heat. When heated, metal sulphides and carbonates break down into metal oxides and release sulphur dioxide or carbon dioxide respectively.

Uploaded by

Gula Melaka
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

CHAPTER 6

LAND AND ITS RESOURCES

6.1 Minerals in the Earths Crust


Rocks are made up of minerals found in the Earths crust Mineral: any solid element or compound that is found naturally in the Earths crust Examples of minerals: gold, limestone (calcium carbonate), silver and etc.

Minerals exist in the form of natural elements or natural compounds. Only a small amount of minerals exist in the earths crust as natural elements. Eg of natural elements: gold, silver, platinum Most of the minerals exist in the form of natural compounds Eg: oxides, sulphides, carbonates and silicates

Elements present in minerals that are found as natural compounds


Natural compound
Oxide Carbonate Sulphide Silicate

Mineral
Haematite Cassiterite Calcite Malachite Iron pyrite Galena China clay Calcium silicate

Elements
Iron, oxygen Tin, oxygen Calcium, oxygen. Oxygen Copper, carbon, oxygen Iron, sulphur Lead, sulphur Aluminium, silicon, oxygen Calcium, silicon, oxygen

Properties of minerals
Each of the mineral has its own properties. Different composition of minerals generally possess the following properties:
Hardness Solubility in water Effect of heat

Hardness of minerals
Generally, minerals are hard All mineral oxides, sulphides and carbonates are hard but the hardest mineral is the diamond

Solubility of minerals in water


Most minerals are insoluble in water Only oxides, sulphides and carbonates of potassium and sodium are soluble in water.

Action of heat on minerals


Metal oxides

Most metal oxides are stable in high temperature. They do not break down when heated
Metal sulphides

When heated, sulphides break down to metal oxides and sulphur dioxide is released.
Metal sulphide heated metal oxide + sulphur dioxide

Metal carbonates

When heated, carbonates break down to metal oxides and carbon dioxide is released. The carbon dioxide produced turns limewater cloudy.
Metal carbonate
heated

metal oxide + carbon dioxide

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