Assignment 6: An Introduction to Minerals

Introduction

Minerals are defined as naturally occurring, inorganic, solids, with definite chemical composition and a regular, internal crystalline structure. The keys to this definition are the chemical composition and the crystalline structure. Different chemical compositions result in different minerals. A good example is the mineral plagioclase. Plagioclase is a member of the feldspar group, but there is more than one type of plagioclase. Albite and anorthite are two examples. Albite has a chemical composition of  NaAlSi₃O₈, while anorthite's chemical composition is CaAl₂Si₂O₈. Very similar, but different - therefore two different minerals.

Different crystalline structures, or how the atoms and molecules are arranged (orderly internal arrangement of atoms), result in different minerals. A good example is a diamond and graphite. Both minerals are composed of carbon (C). The same chemical composition, but two different crystalline structures - therefore, two different minerals.

Directions: 

1) This assignment is designed to assist you in learning the concepts of this module as well as assess your understanding and application of the content. 

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