Identify the Georgia Minerals

© Copyright 2006.  M. J. Krech. All rights reserved.

1. What is this mineral?

Properties:

• Color: white or colorless

• Hardness: 3 - 3.5

• Streak: white

• Specific Gravity: 4.3 - 5

• Breakage: Conchoidal fracture

• Luster: Vitreous

1. This mineral is Barite.

• Formula: BaSO4

• Crystal Structure:

Orthorhombic (usually cubic or stretched cubic) • Uses: cement, cosmetics, paints

2. What is this mineral?Properties:

•Color: colorless or tinted gray, brown, yellow, green, or rarely, red or violet

•Hardness: 2 - 2.5

•Streak: white

•Specific Gravity: 2.6 - 3

•Breakage: perfect basal cleavage - splits into thin sheets

•Luster: vitreous, pearly

2. This mineral is Mica.

• Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(F,OH)2

• Crystal Structure:

Monoclinic

• Uses: fireproofing, lubricant

3. What is this mineral?Properties:

•Color: white to gray to pink

•Hardness: 1.5 - 2

•Streak: white

•Specific Gravity: 2.31 - 2.33

•Breakage: Conchoidal   Fracture, sometimes fibrous

•Luster: vitreous to silky to    pearly

3. This mineral is Gypsum.

• Formula: CaSO4·2H2O

• Crystal Structure:

Monoclinic

• Uses: blackboard chalk, toothpaste, surgical casts, plaster of Paris, drywall

4. What is this mineral?Properties:

•Color: brown, copper red, light pink, red

•Hardness: 2.5

•Streak: redidsh copper

•Specific Gravity: 8,9

•Breakage: Hackly - jagged

•Luster: Metallic

4. This mineral is Copper.

• Formula: Cu

• Crystal Structure:

Mostly cubic (isometric)

• Uses: wiring, coins

5. What is this mineral?Properties:

• Color: usually white

• Hardness: 1.5 - 2

• Streak: white

• Specific Gravity: 2.6

• Breakage: Basal cleavage

• Luster: earthy (dull)

5. This mineral is Kaolin.• Formula: Al2O3·2SiO2·2H2O

• Crystal Structure:

     Tetrahedral layer

     + Octohedral layer

• Uses: Paper manufacturing, ceramics, medicine, toothpaste

6. What is this mineral?Properties:

• Color: white, gray, yellow, red, orange, and rarely, green

• Hardness: 6

• Streak: white

• Specific Gravity: 2.56 - 2.58

• Breakage: cleavage

• Luster: vitreous to pearly

6. This mineral is Feldspar.

• Formula: KAlSi3O8

• Crystal Structure:

Monoclinic

• Uses: porcelain,

      scouring powder,

      when pearly - called Moonstone  and used in jewelry

7. What is this mineral?Properties:

• Color: clear if no impurities, then pink, gray, purple, yellow, green, brown, orange

• Hardness: 7

• Streak: white

• Specific Gravity: 2.65

• Breakage: Conchoidal Fracture

• Luster: Vitreous

7. This mineral is Quartz.

• Formula: SiO2

• Crystal Structure:

Hexagonal

(Six-sided prisms - often distorted)

• Uses: lenses, glass, digital watches, sandpaper

8. What is this mineral?Properties:

•Color: white to green to gray

•Hardness: 1 (softest mineral    on Moh’s hardness scale)

•Streak: white

•Specific Gravity: 2.5 - 2.8

•Breakage: perfect basal    cleavage

•Luster: waxy or pearly

•Special Property: soapy feel

8. This mineral is Talc.

• Formula: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2

• Crystal Structure:

Monoclinic

• Uses: heat-resistant science lab countertops, paints, insecticides

9. What is this mineral?Properties:

• Color: red brown to black

• Hardness: 7 - 7.5

• Streak: white to gray

• Specific Gravity: 3.65 - 3.77

• Breakage: Sub-conchoidal fracture

• Luster: vitreous - dull

• Special Property: often appears twinned in a cross shape

9. This mineral is Staurolite.

• Formula: • (Fe,Mg,Zn)2Al9(Si,Al)4O22OH2

• Crystal Structure:

Monoclinic-prismatic

• Uses:    GEORGIA’S STATE

MINERAL

The End What do you know

about Georgia’s minerals now?

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