Identification of Minerals
What would you do if you were given two samples of the exact same-colored mineral and asked to identify them? What tests would you run? Many minerals look alike, and because minerals share characteristics, geologists must use more than one property when identifying unknown minerals. In this presentation, you will learn how minerals are properly identified. Click the player button to begin.
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Uses of Minerals
Just how much do you use minerals? Minerals are important to identify because you use them in your everyday life. According to the Mineral Information Institute, you will need 3.7 million pounds of minerals, metals, and fuels in your lifetime. Some of the minerals that you need include:
- 1,398 lbs. of copper
- 31,909 lbs. of salt
- 5,417 lbs. of bauxite
- 32,654 lbs. of iron ore
- 911 lbs. of lead
For more information about the scientists who identify and study minerals, view the video Scientist Profile: Mineralogist from eMediaVA℠. As you view the video, take note of some of the ways in which the mineralogist identifies the minerals that she finds.
Ores
You have probably heard of all of the listed minerals with the exception of bauxite. Bauxite is an ore of aluminum. This ore is the world’s main source of aluminum. Aluminum is used in many sources like in soda cans, foil, and car parts just to name a few. What is an ore? An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements that can be extracted from the rock and sold for a profit. Certain elements like iron, aluminum, and silicon are rarely found in their native state. These minerals mined from the Earth as ores. Once it is mined, the mineral of importance can be extracted out of the ore.
Other than aluminum, common ores contain a variety of uses. Minerals are used in the objects that surround you right now. You may even be wearing jewelry that was manufactured using ores. The very pencil with which you write contains an ore. Minerals are used in the construction of many of the objects that you use every day. In this activity, you will learn about these common ores and their uses. Click the player button to begin.
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Mineral Identification Review
Do you know how to properly identify a mineral based on its physical properties? In this non-graded activity, read each question and then watch the video clip associated with it. Once you have watched the video clip, select the appropriate answer. Click the player button to get started.