Mineral Groups in the Earths Crust

Minerals that form the rocks within Earths crust

belong to Seven (7) main mineral groups:
1) Silicates
2) Carbonates
3) Sulfates
Reference:
4) Oxides Pages 44 - 55
5) Halides
6) Sulfides
7) Native
 Hints to Classify Mineral Groups
Olivine (Mg,Fe)2SiO4
A Mineral groups that end
with ate and have an
oxygen group in its
chemical formula are one Barite BaSO4
of the following;
Silicates = Si + Ox
Sulfates = S + Ox Calcite CaCO3
Carbonates = C + Ox
 Hints to Classify Mineral Groups
Hematite Fe2O3
B Mineral groups that end
with ide and have a
metal (eg. Na, K) in its
chemical formula are one Pyrite FeS2
of the following;
Oxidides = Metal + O
Sulfides = Metal + S Fluorite CaF2
Halides = Metal + Cl, Br, F
 Mineral Groups
1) Silicates
Silicon and oxygen are the most common elements in earths crust.
A mineral group that has silicon and oxygen as part of their atomic
structure.
The most dominant mineral class is the silicates.
Comprise more than 96% of the crust.
All silicate minerals have the same building block:

Silicon-Oxygen Tetrahedron
- consisting of four oxygen ions (negative)
surrounding one small silicon ion (positive),
forming a tetrahedron, a pyramid shape
with 4 identical faces.
 Mineral Groups
1) Silicates
 Mineral Groups
1) Silicates

Rock forming Silicates are divided

into two (2) groups:
Sialic Silicates (Aluminosilicates)
rich in silicon and aluminum.
main rock type found in continents and
comprise about 85% of the crust.
mineral are light in color.
 Mineral Groups
1) Silicates

Rock forming Silicates are divided

into two (2) groups:
Simatic Silicates (Ferromagnesium)
rich in silicon and magnesium (Iron).
main rock type found in the ocean floor and
comprise less than 15% of the crust.
mineral are dark in color.
 Mineral Groups
2) Carbonates
compounds consisting of an atomic structure
of one carbon and three oxygen (CO3).
most common carbonate is calcite which make
up the rock Limestone. (Ca CO3)

3) Sulfates
compounds consisting of an atomic structure
of one sulfur and four oxygen (SO4).

the rock Gypsum is an example of a sulfate and

it also takes on the mineral name. (CaSO4 2H2O)
 Mineral Groups
4) Oxides
compounds consisting of an atomic structure
of oxygen combined with one or more metals.
most common oxides are those of iron (Fe2O3) and
aluminum (Al2O3), referred to as Ore - Minerals.

5) Halides
compounds consisting of an atomic structure of chlorine
or fluorine with sodium, potassium, or calcium.

Halite (NaCl) is the most common halide. Often

referred to as table salt.
 Mineral Groups
6) Sulfides
compounds consisting of an atomic structure
of one or more metals combined with sulfur.
common ore mineral.
Examples: Pyrite (FeS2), Galena (PbS), Sphalerite (ZnS).

7) Native Minerals
elements that occur uncombined in nature.
commonly called native elements.
Examples:
Gold (Au), Silver (Ag), Copper (Cu), & Sulfur (S)
 Worksheet

Identifying mineral groups by chemical formulas

 Sample Problem
Which is an example of a halide?
(A) barite (BaSO4)
(B) calcite (CaCO3)
(C) fluorite (CaF2)
(D) hematite (Fe2O3)

Questions related to this topic are

commonly seen in the multiple choice.