Earth Sciences 1022A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Pyroxene, Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcite
10 Jan 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Minerals are solid chemical compounds that combine to form rocks. They are found in nature and vary in atomic bonding, molecular structure, and element composition, all of which determine their chemical, physical properties and permit their identification. An infinite number of chemical combinations are possible and almost 4700 natural minerals are known; however only about 20 minerals dominate the earths crust. Common minerals natural solid compounds found commonly in earth"s crust. Silicates most abundant, made of silicon oxygen tetrahedron. Silicon oxygen tetrahedron is a squared pyramid that is formed of oxygen and silicon. There are 4 oxygen molecules and 1 silicon molecule. Ferro (latin of iron) magnesian (magnesium): (dark) silicates. Olivine single tetrahedral bonded to fe+2 and mg+2 ions; fe and mg substitute for each other to form a group of minerals. Characteristics grassy green, hard (from weak bonding) Pyroxene single chains of tetrahedral (all connected together) and has 90 degree cleavage. Fact: these are found in the canadian shield.
