Mineral Chemistry - Assignment Example

Project 3 What are the major chemical groups that comprise minerals (silicates, phosphorites, carbonates, salts? a. The Alkali metals or Lithium family One example of a mineral in this group would be Amblygonite/LiAl(F,OH)PO4 that contains 8 to 10 per cent lithia. It is produced in Sweden; Quebec Great Slave Lake North-West Territories, Canada; and Bikitia in Rhodesia (Lithium Minerals,Lithium Carbonate,Natural Lithium,Lithium Information, n.d.). It is a common phosphate mineral that is not often found in crystals but in masses of up to 200 tons but fine macro crystals have been found where some are of gem quality. The crystals are white to amber in color. Amblygonite is harder than other phosphate pegmatite minerals and are not highly valued because of their color (Mindat Mineralogy Messageboard. n.d.). b.The Alkaline earth metals or beryllium family Beryl or 3BeO·Al2O3·6SiO2 is one of the most valuable and famous mineral in the Beryllium family. It is a hard and relatively light mineral found in granitic rocks, pegmatites, mica schists, and similar environments. Beryl is usually milky and translucent with a greenish color however pure Beryl is clear and transparent, where small amounts of impurities add to its attractive color (Beryllium. n.d.). c.The Tetrels, carbon group or carbon family Diamond is one example of carbon mineral which has many unequaled qualities among other minerals. It is the hardest known substance, a great conductor of heat, and one that has the highest melting point. The luster of Diamond is excellent. It exhibits a shiny and polished look with proper cutting (Diamond: The mineral Diamond information and pictures. n.d.). d. The Pnictogens or Nitrogen family Bararite is one example of a Nitrogen mineral. It is a natural form of ammonium fluorosilicate that has a chemical formula (NH4)2SiF6 and a trigonal crystal structure. It was classified as a part of cryptohalite. Bararite was named after the place where it was first described, Barari, India. It was found at the fumaroles of volcanoes over burning coal seams. Bararite is a mineral that is formed with cryptohalite, sal ammoniac, and native sulfur (Bararite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. n.d.). e. The Halogens or fluorine family Fluorite is one example of a Fluorine mineral which is known for its glassy luster and rich variety of colors. It comes in purple, blue, green, yellow, brown, pink, black, reddish orange colors and sometimes colorless. Because of this, it is deemed as the most colorful mineral in the world. Most specimens of fluorite have a single color but a significant percentage of fluorites have multiple colors arranged in bands depending on the shape of the fluorite crystals. Typically, fluorites are shaped as cubes where it has a clear outer zone. One crystal fluorite can have four or five different colors (Class. n.d.). 2. Define batholith, dike, laccolith, pluton, sill, intrusive, and extrusive. Batholiths are a large body of rocks that forms through the solidification of magma beneath the earth’s surface. It is composed of small particles of rocks which causes it to have an irregular shape that usually leans against another rock. Most Batholiths are found across mountain folds. One of the well-known Batholith is found in the Sierra Nevada range of California USA (Batholith - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. n.d.). Dikes are magma that is formed vertically, which is usually very steep. Dikes can be found at the inner core of a volcano. They could also occur in places where there has been crustal extension which may be open to filling of magma from a deep source. These outcrops of dikes can range from a few meters to many kilometers in length. Some dikes are very thin which are called dikelets or veins. Also, dikes frequently display a chilled margin as they intrude relatively cool country rocks (Item., c. s, n.d.). Laccoliths are large concordant intrusions that cause the folding of rocks. They tend to form in shallow depths beneath light sedimentary rocks that increase the pressure of intruding magma that lifts overlying rock strata, forming a planar base. They typically arise from viscous magmas such as those that crystallize to diorite, granodiorite, and granite (Item., c. s. n.d.). Plutons are the deep-seated igneous bodies formed when magma from the lower part of the crust in the upper layer of the earth cools down. They have various shapes determined by the structure of the enclosing rock that gives way to the types of plutons such as batholiths, laccoliths, lopoliths, phacoliths, dikes, and sills (Pluton (geology) definition of Pluton (geology) in the Free Online Encyclopedia, n.d.). A Sill formed through the intrusion of magma that causes it to spread underground between the layers of another kind of rock. One of the most prominent Sills is found in the flanks of Mount Gould, in Glacier National Park in Montana which is named Purcell Sill. The rocks of this sill are diorite (Land, n.d.). Intrusive rocks are also called plutonic rocks which are igneous rocks that are formed from magna that is forced into leaning against older rocks in the depths within the earth’s crust. After it solidifies below the Earth’s surface, it is now then formed into a variety of rock types (Intrusive Rock (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Extrusive Rocks are rocks that are formed due to the pouring out of the ejected magma from the Earth’s surface. They are usually distinguished from intrusive rocks based on their texture and mineral content. Both lava and pyroclastic debris are considered extrusive however, many extrusive rocks also contain intrusive components (Extrusive Rock (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. n.d.). 3. Define caldera, flood basalt, pyroclastic rock, shield volcano, and phreatic eruption. Caldera is a volcanic depression that is one kilometer in diameter and is shaped like a large bowl. They are usually formed by the collapse of the top of the volcanic cone. This collapse empties the underlying magma reservoir by voluminous eruptions of pumice and pumiceous ash. After all the eruptions, the top layer of the mountain disappears, leaving an immense hole in its place which then forms the caldera (Caldera (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. n.d.). Flood basalts are considered the largest eruptions of lava on Earth with volumes of lava flows which exceed 2000 cubic kilometers. These are one type of large igneous province that characterizes the Earth’s surface formed during various times in the geological past. Some of these formations are seen in water and land environment (Geological Society - Flood basalts, mantle plumes and mass extinctions, n.d.). Pyroclastic rocks are composed of rock fragments of explosive origin that is usually associated with volcanic eruptions. Some of pyroclastic materials are volcanic ash, obsidian, and pumice (Pyroclastic - definition of pyroclastic by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Shield volcanoes are a type of volcano that is built entirely from fluid lava flows. They are called that because of their large size and low profile look, resembling a warrior’s child. This is caused by the fact that the highly fluid lava it is composed of travels farther than lava, which erupts from more explosive volcanoes. This results in the accumulation of broad sheets instead of scattered lava, building up the shield volcanoes distinctive form. Shield volcanoes have low viscosity magma (Shield volcano: Definition from Answers.com, n.d.). Phreatic refers to matters regarding the ground water below water table. Thus, phreatic eruption is the volcanic activity that happens where pore water pressure is under atmospheric conditions. Phreatic eruption forms cave passages through the dissolved limestone in all directions and it usually takes place when the cave passage is below the water table (Phreatic: Definition from Answers.com. n.d.). 4. Define bedding, evaporite, fossil, strata, and detrital sediment. Bedding is a stratification of a layer of a sediment or volcanic material that is separated from other layers. Beds can vary in thickness from 1 cm to 3 meters thick, in texture, and in their resistance to weathering from one bed to another (Fiore, C. n.d.). Evaporites are any of the minerals found in the sedimentary deposit of soluble sales that result in the evaporation of water. These deposits occur in closes marine deposits where evaporation exceeds inflow. Every deposit shows a certain sequence of minerals that indicates a certain cycle which determines its solubility. Some of the most prominent minerals formed are calcite, gypsum, anhydrite, halite, polyhite, potassium and magnesium salts such as sylvite, carnallite, kainite, and kieserite (Evaporite (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. n.d.). Fossil is a trace of an animal or plant’s past geologic inhabitation preserved in the earth’s crust. It contains a complex data of recorded fossils that are known as fossil record which is the source of information about the history of a certain life on earth. However, there is only a small fraction of ancient life that is preserved as fossils and usually organisms that have solid skeletons are those that are readily preserved (Contrast. n.d.). Strata is a kind of sedimentary rock layer that is bound by two stratification planes, where the latter is produced by clear changes in the grain size, texture, or other diagnostic features of the rocks above and below the plane. The common size of a stratum is less than one centimeter in thickness which is called lamina while those that have thicker features are called bed (Stratum (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. n.d.). Detrital sediments are rocks that are formed from the solid particles of organic rock debris. This is the kind of rock where you would most likely discover a fossil. One characteristic of detrital sedimentary rocks is that its particles can range in size from smaller than .004 mm to larger than an inch of stone. They are formed from rock particles transported in water and deposited in certain layers forming solid rocks. This process is called lithification (The Rock Cycle Web Site - Detrital Sedimentary Rocks. n.d.). 5. Define regional metamorphism, shock metamorphism, contact metamorphism, and burial metamorphism. Regional metamorphism is a geological activity in which the mineralogy and texture of rocks are changed through the deep burial and heating associated with the forces of large scale plate tectonics. In regional metamorphism, rocks that are formed closer to the margin of the tectonic plates have different mineral composition and texture from those that are formed far away because of the heat and pressure (Regional Metamorphism - definition of regional metamorphism by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. n.d.). Shock metamorphism is a process in the solar system that is caused by the passage of strong shock waves that is triggered by the impact of natural events such as nuclear or chemical explosions. The intensity of the wave is then measured by a shock wave which is a short living compression wave accompanied by high pressures and temperatures. Minerals undergo shock damage and transformation during shock metamorphism where they could turn into a solid state or melt and vaporize (Solid-state, c. f. n.d.). Contact metamorphism occurs when a high geothermal gradient is produced around magma. This process is usually restricted to the shallow depths of the earth’s surface as it is only in shallow surface where there is a large contrast of temperature between the magma and the surrounding rocks. Also, products of contact metamorphism are fine grained rocks called hornfels (Contact Metamorphism. n.d.). Burial Metamorphism causes sedimentary rocks that are buried in deep depths where temperature is higher than 300 degrees Celsius in the absence of differential stress. This activity causes new minerals to grow but the rocks still appears to not be metamorphosed. The main mineral produced in burial metamorphism are the Zeolites (Types of Metamorphism. n.d.). Reference List File:Periodic table.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Periodic_table.svg Lithium Minerals,Lithium Carbonate,Natural Lithium,Lithium Information. (n.d.). Mineral Industries,World Minerals,Mineral Information,Properties of Minerals. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://www.mineralszone.com/minerals/lithium.html Mindat Mineralogy Messageboard. (n.d.). Mineralogy Database - Mineral Collecting, Localities, Mineral Photos and Data. 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Answers.com: Wiki Q&A combined with free online dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedias. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.answers.com/topic/phreatic Fiore, C. (n.d.). Definition of Bedding in Geology | eHow.com. eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5403937_definition-bedding-geology.html Evaporite (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/197000/evaporite Contrast. (n.d.). fossil (paleontology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/214511/fossil Stratum (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/568446/stratum The Rock Cycle Web Site - Detrital Sedimentary Rocks. (n.d.). www.personal.psu.edu. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.personal.psu.edu/cll161/insys%20441/sed_types1.html Solid-state, c. f. (n.d.). Shock metamorphism of minerals. Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.stecf.org/~ralbrech/amico/intabs/langenhorstf.html Regional Metamorphism - definition of regional metamorphism by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.. (n.d.). Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/regional+metamorphism Contact Metamorphism. (n.d.). Tulane University. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens212/contactmeta.htm Types of Metamorphism. (n.d.). Tulane University. 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