Rocks and Minerals

Hi Guys! This is the second article about Earth Science. In this article we would be discussing a little bit about minerals. I hope that you find what I put useful. 


Minerals
   is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not have a specific chemical composition. Minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts to very complex silicates with thousands of known forms. The study of minerals is called mineralogy.

1. Naturally occurring

2. Solid substance

3. Orderly crystalline structure

4. Definite chemical composition

5. Generally considered inorganic

How Minerals Form

   1. Crystallization from magma

   2. Precipitation

   3. Pressure and temperature

   4. Hydro thermal solutions 

Mineral Groups

    Can be classified based on their composition

          1. Silicates

                         •Silicon and oxygen combine to form a structure called the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron. This silicon-oxygen tetrahedron provides the framework of every silicate mineral.

                2. Carbonates

                           •Minerals that contain the elements carbon, oxygen, and one or more other metal element.

                3. Oxides

                              •Minerals that contain oxygen and one or more other elements, which are usually metals    

                4. Sulfates and Sulfides

                                  •Minerals that contain the element sulfur

                5. Halides

                           •Minerals that contain a halogen ion plus one or more other elements

                6. Native elements

                                  •Minerals that exist in relatively pure form

       Properties of Minerals

 1. Color    -  Small amounts of different elements can give the same mineral different colors.

2. Streak   -  is the color of a mineral in its powdered form.

3. Luster   -  is used to describe how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral.

4. Crystal Form   -  is the visible expression of a mineral’s internal arrangement of atoms.

5. Hardness   -   is a measure of the resistance of a mineral to being scratched.

                  - Mohs scale consists of 10 minerals arranged from 10 (hardest) to 1 (softest).

6. Cleavage   -  is the tendency of a mineral to cleave, or break, along flat, even surfaces.

7. Fracture   -  Minerals that do not show cleavage when broken are said to fracture.

                       -  the uneven breakage of a mineral

8. Density    - is a property of all matter that is the ratio of an object’s mass to its volume.

The Importance of Rocks and Minerals Name Type of Rock Use Basalt Igneous Used in road building materials Calcite Mineral Used in cements and mortars and the production of lime Granite Igneous Used for buildings, monuments, and tombstones Marble Metamorphic Used in building, floors, tile in bathrooms Obsidian Igneous Used in making arrowheads and knives Pumice Igneous Used in scouring, scrubbing, and polishing materials Quartz Mineral Used in making glass, electrical components, and optical lenses Sandstone Sedimentary Used in the building industry for houses Slate Metamorphic Used for roofs, chalkboards, and patio walks

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002289/uses.html

I hope that what I wrote help you a little bit.

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Checked by Prof. Crisencio Paner

Earth Science and Advertising

Science is one of the subjects that most students are not fond of. Some say they hate it, it's boring, difficult and it has Math. For me, it's so weird to say it but I don't mind it at all. Actually, I think it's very interesting and fun because you get to understand a lot of different things about our planet and the universe. You will get to see how wonderful our world really is.

The other day we had an introduction about Earth and Life Science. Also, how important it is to our course Advertising. Well I don't really get it to tell you the truth. I can't see any connection between Science and Advertising. Below is a short summary of what our Professor Crisencio M. Paner discussed:

 What is Earth Science?

       Encompasses all science that seek to understand

• Earth
• Earth's neighbors in space

 Earth Science includes:

• Geology - the study of Earth
• Oceanography - the study of the ocean
• Meteorology -  the study of the atmosphere and the processes that produce weather
• Astronomy -  the study of the universe

Earth's Major Spheres

• Hydrosphere  

    Ocean is the most prominent feature of the hydrosphere. Is nearly 71% of the Earth's surface. Holds about 97% of the Earth's water. Also includes fresh water found in streams lakes, and glaciers, as well as that found underground.

•   Atmosphere

    Thin, tenuous blank of air. One half lies below 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles). Concentrated near the surface in a zone that extends from the ocean floor upward for several kilometers into the atmosphere.  

•  Biosphere

    Includes all life. Concentrated near the surface in a zone that extends from the ocean floor upward for several kilometers into the atmosphere.

•  Geosphere

     Based on the compositional differences, it consists of the 

         Crust - the thin, rocky outer layer of Earth.

         Mantle - the 2890- kilometer -thick layer of Earth located below the crust.

         Core - the innermost layer of Earth, located beneath the mantle.

Those are the some of things that was discussed. As all of these things were being discussed slowly but surely I had started to have an idea about the relation of Science to Advertising. I think that with the understanding of science I can make ads that would give awareness to people about the state of our world. I can also make an effective ads that would promote a product that is an Eco-friendly and has reasonable price.



I would like to thank our Professor Crisencio M. Paner for giving us this opportunity to learn more about our planet. Also for sharing us his knowledge and experiences regarding this field.

The source and reference: here