GEOL 104 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Conchoidal Fracture, Refraction, Magnesium

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering
• Course: GEOL 104
• Professor: Daniel Layton- Matthews

Document Summary

If we look at how a mineral is put together, we can determine how it will break. Fracture: absence of cleavage when a mineral is broken. Conchoidal fracture - breaks to form smooth, curved surfaces like broken glass. Specific gravity: ratio of the weight of a mineral to the weight of an equal volume of water (unit- less), avg. value is approx. between 2. 5-3, function of elements and mineral structure. Distributing prohibited | downloaded by scarlet choi (choia980806@gmail. com) lomoar cpsd| 1578061. 4660 minerals have been identified, rock forming minerals, a handful of common minerals that make up most of the rocks of earth s crust, composed of mainly the 8 elements that make up over 98% of the continental crust. Most common mineral group, basic building block is the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron, four oxygen ions surrounding a much smaller silicon ion to form a more complex ion. Tetrahedra are lined together to form: single chains, double chains, and sheets.