What Do You Know About Minerals - Essay Example

Diamond Diamond is the hardest mineral. It is formed from carbon-based material exposed to high temperature and high heat forces in the earth’s crust. Diamonds are famous for their beauty. Many are clear and brilliant because they are too dense to let impurities enter during formation. Corundum Corundum is made of Aluminum Oxide with a variety of other impurities that give it various colors. Clear, red samples of corundum are called rubies. This is a very hard mineral and has many industrial uses. It can scratch most other minerals, so it is used in sandpaper and emery cloth. Topaz Topaz is a mineral that is constructed from silicate, aluminum and fluorine. It is clear unless other imperfections are mixed in during formation. Topaz is highly desirable as an ornamental stone in many cultures. The type of imperfection determines the color of the topaz. Topaz crystals form a prism shape capped by pyramids on each end. Quartz Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust. It is constructed from silicone and oxygen. Quartz is very hard and resistant to weathering. As a result, you can often find quartz in streambeds. Quarts is sometimes used as an ornamental stone, but is more widely used in manufacturing processes. Feldspar Feldspar is a group of minerals that make-up nearly 60% of the earth’s surface. They are formed by cooling magma, making them prevalent in igneous rocks. Feldspar is broken into three different varieties. One variety contains potassium, one contains sodium and another contains calcium. Feldspar is used for many industrial purposes such as making glass and as an ingredient in paint. Apatite Apatite is a group of phosphate rich minerals. The group is broken into four types; hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, chlorapatite and bromapatite. Apatite is a relatively soft mineral that is used as a source of phosphorous in fertilizer. Fluorite Fluorite is a mineral made from calcium and fluoride. This mineral gave us the word fluorescence because when viewed under ultraviolet light it glows. Fluorite is an important mineral in steel production because it acts as a flux, allowing the molten metal to flow more easily. It is found in many colors and has been called the most colorful mineral in the world. Calcite Calcite is a stable form of calcium carbonate. It has the unusual property of birefringence. When you look through a clear sample of calcite, the birefringence properties of the mineral will cause you to see double. Calcite is usually found in metamorphic rock and has been used for things such as gun sights in the past. Gypsum Gypsum is a very soft mineral. It is harder than only one other mineral in nature. Gypsum is salt based so it will dissolve in water. It is most widely used in the construction industry for the making of drywall. Talc Talc is the softest mineral. Finding it in crystal form in nature is very rare. Talc is used in ceramic making and as a personal hygiene product. It is usually found in formations of weathered igneous rocks. It is composed of hydrated magnesium silicate. Talc is white to grey in color, with any other color being very rare. Crust The crust is the outermost part of the earth’s surface. It is full of minerals and elements that are less common in other parts of the earth. The crust of the earth that makes up the continents is different than the crust that is found under the oceans. The crust under the oceans is denser than the continental crust. Earth’s crust is between three and six miles thick. It composes only about 1% of the earth’s total volume. Upper Mantle The Upper Mantle is a portion of the earth just below the crust. Together with the Lower Mantle, it makes up about 84% of the earth’s volume. The Upper Mantle is not solid like the crust. The Upper mantle is made of rocks and minerals that are fluid. Dense minerals sink towards the Lower Mantle while less dense minerals move towards the Crust. Lower Mantle The Lower Mantle is made of denser minerals than those found in the Upper Mantle. They are not fluid here as they were in the Upper Mantle, even though the Lower Mantle is much hotter than the Upper Mantle. The minerals here cannot melt because of the pressure being put on them by the crust and the Upper Mantle. Melting is impossible under such pressure. Outer Core This section of the earth is made from nickel and iron. These two elements are able to melt, even under great pressure. This means that the Outer Core is liquid as is the Upper Mantle. The outer Core is thought to affect the earth’s magnetic field. Inner Core The Inner core of earth is thought to be a solid Nickel-Iron alloy. Very little is known about this part of the earth. It has been established that the Inner Core is solid and that it is slowly growing. The Outer Core is cooling off slowly, causing the inner core to grow. Nimbostratus Nimbostratus clouds usually are associated with rain. They occur below 2000 meters. It can be difficult to determine their base and height because they stretch high into the atmosphere. They are usually dark in color and are often called “storm clouds”. Stratus Stratus clouds are found low in the atmosphere. They occur below 2000 meters and usually take up the whole of the visible sky. They form a great, wide layer of clouds. They do not hold rain but do cause fog and mist. Cumulonimbus Cumulonimbus clouds are huge clouds. They stretch from about 600 meters to 39,000 meters in height. They are cooler at the top and warmer at the bottom. This causes lost of energy to be stored in the cloud. These are the clouds that usually bring thunderstorms and heavy rain. Stratocumulus These clouds form low in the atmosphere, below 2000 meters. They are small, white fluffy clouds resembling cotton balls. These clouds do not usually bring any sort of precipitation. Cumulus Cumulus clouds are white, fluffy clouts that build vertically. They are the clouds that are great for imagining shapes and features in the sky. They usually do not being rain unless they grow very large. Cumulus clouds are generally regarded as a fair weather cloud. Altocumulus These clouds form between 2000 and 7000 meters. They are full of moisture but usually do not bring rain. They are common on humid mornings when rain is expected with increasing temperatures later in the day. They are large in size and look like a sheet of clouds with bumps. Altostratus An Altostratus cloud stretches for many miles. The base of the cloud starts at about 2000 feet and goes upwards. These clouds can be thick or thin. When they are thin, you can see the outline of the sun shining through them. Cirrostratus These are very high clouds that do not have much shape or form. They are mostly transparent and often indicate that a storm is approaching in a day or two. These clouds create a hazy effect in the atmosphere and can create a halo around the sun. Cirrocumulus These clouds form at very high altitudes. They appear as wavy and lumpy clouds. They do not hold precipitation. They are sometimes described as looking like fish scales. Cirrus These are high-level clouds that are made of ice crystals. They occur in altitudes over 6000 meters. They do not bring precipitation and are often associated with fair weather. They are good at indicating wind direction in the upper atmosphere and often have a white, wispy appearance. Read More