Introduction to Mineralogy

A Mineral is naturally occurring inorganic crystalline solid material with its own characteristics, definite (but generally not fixed) chemical composition and a set of distinguishable physical properties.

This is extensive definition of mineral. Let's analysis this definition.

ANALYSIS OF THE DEFINITION

1. All mineral are crystalline i.e they are not Amorphous.

2. Every mineral is a chemical substance

3. All minerals are solid materials

4. All Minerals are inorganic

5. Not occuring not man-made (Synthetic)

Sub-division of Mineralogy

1. Crystallography- study of crystals

2. Chemical Mineralogy- Deals with chemical composition & structure of mineral and their respective reactions to certainl chemicals.

3. Descriptive mineralogy- study of the Physical and chemical properties of minerals, their occurrence and uses.

4. Determinative mineralogy- use of the Physical and chemical properties to identify minerals.

5. Economic Mineralogy- deals with the economic aspect of minerals their exploration and industrial utilization.

6 Physical mineralogy- This deals with the Physical properties of mineralsne e.g lustre, cleavage hardness and fracture.

Rocks are composed by one or two aggregate of minerals.Minerals are matter and rocks are matter. All minerals are solid and crystalined.

Solid states of matter 

State of matter 

Solid

Liquids

Gas

Plasma

From here it leads us to phase Rule of crystals 

Phase Rule

What is phase.

A phase is a physically distinct and mechanical separable portion of the system

Formula for phase Rule

P+F =C+2

F+C-P+2

C = number of components

P= maximum number of phase in equilibrium

F= Degree of freedom

The components of a system at equilibrium are the smallest number of Independent variable constitutes necessary to make up the phase.