Table of Contents
- 1 What solid has a repeating pattern of atoms?
- 2 What do the repetitive patterns in a mineral form crystals?
- 3 What is the repeating pattern of a minerals particles?
- 4 What is the term for a repeating pattern of atoms or elements?
- 5 What is meant when minerals are referred to as crystalline solid?
- 6 How light is reflected from a mineral?
- 7 What is the term for an irregular way a mineral breaks apart?
What solid has a repeating pattern of atoms?
A crystal is a form of solid where the atoms are arranged in a predictable, specific pattern. The atoms in a crystal form a repeating pattern called a crystal lattice.
What do the repetitive patterns in a mineral form crystals?
The repeating pattern of a mineral’s atoms forms a mineral’s crystal structure. All the crystals of a mineral have the same crystal structure. Geologists classify crystals by the number of faces, or sides, on the crystal. A mineral that splits easily along a flat surface has the property called cleavage.
Does a mineral have to a definite repeating shape to be called a mineral?
What is a mineral? No minerals are liquid because, by definition, minerals are always solid. All minerals have a(n) crystal structure, which means the atoms are arranged in an orderly, repeating pattern; this causes minerals to often have sharp edges and smooth faces.
What is the repeating pattern of a minerals particles?
The repeating pattern of a mineral’s particles forms a solid called a crystal. The solid has flat sides that meet at sharp edges and corners.
What is the term for a repeating pattern of atoms or elements?
A pattern of repeating order is called periodicity. In the mid-1800s, Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, noticed a repeating pattern of chemical properties in elements. Mendeleev arranged the elements in order of increasing atomic mass, to form something that resembles the modern periodic table.
Do minerals have to be solid?
Solid. Though minerals vary in shape, color, luster (the way a mineral reflects light) and hardness, all minerals are a solid at a given temperature. If a substance is not in its solid state, it is not currently a mineral. For example, ice is a mineral, but liquid water is not.
What is meant when minerals are referred to as crystalline solid?
What is meant when minerals are referred to as “crystalline solids?” The constituent atoms are arranged in a regular, three-dimensional pattern. 7. Why do most minerals, as measured by rock volume, belong to the silicate group?
How light is reflected from a mineral?
Light is reflected from a mineral when light waves hit the surface of the mineral and bounce back outward.
Do minerals have a definite shape?
Halite (salt) – is naturally formed, is solid, does have a definite chemical composition that can be expressed by the formula NaCl, and does have a definite crystalline structure. Thus halite is a mineral….
| EENS1110 | Physical Geology |
|---|---|
| Tulane University | Prof. Stephen A. Nelson |
| Minerals |
What is the term for an irregular way a mineral breaks apart?
A mineral that splits easily along flat surfaces has the property called cleavage. Fracture describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way.