1: Minerals

Question 1

What is a mineral/what criteria does it have to meet?

Answer 1

• substance (element or chemical compound) which meets the following criteria:
  
  • naturally formed
  • solid
  • has a characteristic chemical formula
    
    • Diamond - C
    • Quartz - SiO2
    • Muscovite mica
  • Has a characteristic crystalline structure
    
    • controls external symmetry
      
      • Diamond
    • controls physical properties
      
      • Graphite, sheets will break and glide over each other.

Question 2

Process of mineral formation

Answer 2

• Crystallization from a cooling melt
• Precipitation from a solution
  
  • hot water or acid solution
  • evaporation
  • secretion by organisms
• Solid-state diffusion

Question 3

Silicates Importance

Answer 3

• 40% of common minerals

- 90% of the Earth’s crust

Question 4

Silicates structures

Answer 4

• basic building block: the silca tetrahedron

Question 5

Polymerization (silicates strucutres)

Answer 5

linking together of molecules

Question 6

Silicate Rock: Quartz

Answer 6

• Framework structure
• SiO2
• Hard structure
• Same minerals as glass

Question 7

Silicate Rock: Plagioclase feldspar

Answer 7

• Most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust
• White in color
• Blocky rectangular shaped crystals
• Slightly softer hardness

Question 8

Silicate Rock: Potassium feldspar

Answer 8

• Similar blocky shape to it as plagioclase
• Framework structure
• Pink/Salmon color occasionally (if not pink, it is hard to tell from plagioclase)
• All from granite rock

Question 9

Silicate Rock: Muscovite Mica

Answer 9

• Peel apart with your fingernail

- Sheet structure

Question 10

Silicate Rock: Olivine

Answer 10

• Green color - paragoat
  
  • “Olivine is olive green”
• Most abundant mineral in the earth’s mantel

Question 11

Silicate Rock: Pyroxene

Answer 11

• Formed from lava
• Common in crustal rocks
• Single chain way of making a silicate mineral

Question 12

Silicate Rock: Amphibole

Answer 12

• Very similar looking to Pyroxene

- Double chain strucutre

Question 13

Silicate Rock: Biotite Mica

Answer 13

• Just like muscovite:
  
  • Peel apart with your fingernail
  • Sheet structure
• Black instead of white (like muscovite mica)

Question 14

What 4 has iron in them, and what does iron do?

Answer 14

Olivine, Pyroxene, Amphilbole, and Biotite Mica.

Iron gives them color.

Question 15

Non-Silicate Rock: Calcite

Answer 15

• Calcium Carbonate

- Main mineral in limestone

Question 16

Non-Silicate Rock: Gypsum

Answer 16

• Calcium sulfate

- Evaporite deposits

Question 17

Non-Silicate Rock: Halite

Answer 17

• Sodium chloride
• Evaporite deposits
• Essential for human diet

Question 18

Non-Silicate Rock: Hematite

Answer 18

• Iron oxide

- rocks formed at the surface or in shallow water

Question 19

Non-Silicate Rock: Magnetite

Answer 19

• Iron oxide
• rocks formed deep underground or in deep water
• strongest magnetic material

Question 20

Asbestos?

Answer 20

A group of minerals that form tiny, flexible fibers.

Question 21

What are the 3 types of Asbestos in common use?

Answer 21

White, Brown, Blue

Question 22

White Asbestos?

Answer 22

• Chrysotile variety of serpentine

- 90-95% of all asbestos mined is white

Question 23

Brown Asbestos?

Answer 23

Amosite, an amphibole

Question 24

Blue Asbestos?

Answer 24

Crocidolite, an amphibole

Question 25

Asbestos uses?

Answer 25

- Insulation (have fibers that track air pockets in them) - Ceiling and floor tiles - Fire-proofing - Brakepads on cars

Question 26

Asbestos hazards?

Answer 26

Air-borne exposure has been linked to various lung diseases. - Asbestosis - Lung Cancer - Mesothelioma

Question 27

Total Asbestos deaths per year?

Answer 27

Around 7000-10000

Question 28

You breathe in ~1 million fibers/yr produced from?

Answer 28

Surface weathering of rocks.

Question 29

Which asbestos is much more pathogenic than the other types, but is no longer mined?

Answer 29

Blue Asbestos

Question 30

Chronic exposure of asbestos in occupational settings (mining, plumbing, construction) can be...?

Answer 30

Hazardous

Question 31

Risk from low-level, non-occupational exposure of asbestos is about what fraction?

Answer 31

1 in 1 million.

Question 32

What is the longest-running and most expensive mass tort in U.S. history?

Answer 32

Abatement and litigation - 600k total claimants - 6k total defendants - total cost > $250 billion