Exam 3: Minerals: the Building Blocks of Rocks

Completion The two factors that determine whether or not an element can substitute for another element in the composition of a mineral are the ____________________ and ____________________ of the atoms.

What is the definition of a mineral, and what do each of the parts of the definition mean?

Covalent bonds differ from ionic bonds in that:

Isotopes of the same element have:

Why do some minerals form regular crystals and some do not? For instance, mineral such as quartz may form beautiful crystals or irregular blobs.

Describe the Mohs hardness scale and list, in increasing order of hardness, the minerals of the Mohs hardness scale.

Which is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust?

If a diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance, how can one be "cut"?

The number of neutrons in an atom always equals the number of protons.

van der Waals bonds occur between atoms or compounds without free electrons.

Which physical property is generally the most unreliable when it comes to identifying minerals?

Minerals may have chemical compositions that vary within a range.

The primary occurrence of the rock-forming minerals olivine, pyroxene, and amphibole is:

Completion The basic building block of silicate minerals is the silica ____________________.

Why are minerals important economically? What effect does the distribution of minerals have on the economic well-being of nations?

The United States is self-sufficient in petroleum and most minerals.

Completion Carbon-12 (C¹²), carbon-13 (C¹³), and carbon-14 (C¹⁴) are all ____________________ of the ____________________ carbon.

Give one example of each of the carbonates, sulfates, sulfides, and halides.

For each of the following subatomic particles, state where it can be found and what its charge is: proton, electron, and nucleus.

Graphite and diamond are both made of carbon, but only one is good for pencil lead. Why is graphite useful for this task while diamond is not?