Lab 2 - Dory McAllister
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South Carolina State University *
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153
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Geology
Date
Jan 9, 2024
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10
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PSC 153 – Earth/Space Science Lab v1 online
Lab #2
Minerals
Name ___________________
Introduction:
In this lab, students will explore properties of rocks and minerals. For the first part of the lab,
you will use some rocks you find around where you live. You will then examine a variety of
specific properties using some virtual simulations and images of mineral samples. While you
are studying the specific properties of minerals, you are also practicing the general skill of
scientific classification and identification based on physical and chemical properties of an
object.
Special Requirements for this lab:
For part 1, you will need to find a few different rocks from outside. Try to find three rocks
that are each a little different from each other.
For part 2, you will be using a website that has a virtual density lab. You will need to go to
the link on Blackboard, follow the directions in this worksheet and record your data.
For part 3, you will use a series of videos recorded from a Minerals Simulation website that
used the now outdated Flash animations. Use the videos to make and record observations of
the various mineral properties tested.
For part 4, you will use the images in the lab and videos on Blackboard.
Terms:
·
Mineral - a natural, inorganic, solid with a definite crystal structure and chemical
composition
·
Rock – a natural, solid, composed of one or more minerals
·
Density – the mass of a sample divided by its volume
·
Magnetic – a mineral property where a sample is attracted to magnets and can attract iron
filings in the same way that a magnet does.
·
Luster – a mineral property that describes the way light reflects off of the surface
·
Streak color – the color of a mineral in its powdered form, most often found by scratching
the material across an unglazed, white porcelain plate
·
Hardness – the ability of a material to resist abrasion or scratching
·
Mohs scale – a numerical scale used to compare mineral hardness
·
Cleavage - the tendency of a material to split along definite planes
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Lab #2
Part 1: Qualitative Observations and Classification
Goals:
•
Practice observational skills and descriptions
•
Classify objects based on their properties
For this part you will be using the rocks you found outside as well as some images of rock
samples.
1.1)
Choose one of the rocks you found outside. Below write out your detailed
description of the rock. Try to describe it well enough that someone else could
picture your rock based on your description.
1.2) Now compare your first rock to your other rocks. How are they different from the
first one?
1.3) What general properties of the rocks did you use as you were describing them (for
example: size, color, shape, texture, etc)?
1.4) Take a picture of your rocks and insert the picture in the box below.
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Lab #2
When considering a group of samples it is often easiest to categorize the samples based on
their properties.
·
For example: I could categorize students based on the general property of class. The
individual groups would be freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.
·
Another example: you could categorize people based on the general property of age.
The individual groups could be 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, etc
As another example, the picture to the right
shows a collection of buttons. These could
be classified based on several properties.
You could separate them first based on
color (white, brown, black, red). Or you
could separate them based on size (small,
medium, large). You could even separate
them based on the number of holes in each
button (2 holes, 4 holes, other).
Look over the image of the collection of rocks
at the right and consider how you could
separate them into groups based on a single
property.
1.5) What is one single property that you could use to separate them? (note there is more
than one possible choice, but only choose one)
1.6) Using the property that you indicated above, what would be the individual groups
that would go with that property?
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PSC 153 – Earth/Space Science Lab v1 online
Lab #2
Part 2: Density of Minerals, Virtual Experiment
For this part of the lab you will need to go to the Density Lab Simulation using the link on
Blackboard. While there are many aspects to this virtual experiment that you can play around
with, follow the specific steps below. If at any point you make a mistake, you can use the
Reset button and start the instructions from the beginning.
A) Hit the “Turn Fluid into Water” button on the top left.
B) Hit the “Iron” button on the lower right. You should see a brown rectangular block appear
in the container of water.
C) Record the volume measurement with the block in the container.
D) Use your mouse to click and hold the rectangle and move it onto the scale.
E) Record the mass of the block in the questions below.
F) With the block outside of the water, record the volume of liquid in the container
2.1) Record the volume of the liquid with the iron block in the container. __________
2.2) Record the mass of the iron block ___________
2.3) Record the volume of the liquid without the iron block in the container. _________
G) The values above will be transferred into the formula below to calculate the density of the
iron block.
2.4) Density calculation
(
g
)
(
ml
−
ml
)
=(
g
/
ml
)
H) Hit the “gold” button on the lower right. You should see a rectangular yellow block
appear in place of the iron block. Make the same sort of measurements on this block as you
did for the iron block.
2.5) Record the volume of the liquid with the gold block in the container. __________
2.6) Record the mass of the gold block ___________
2.7) Record the volume of the liquid without the gold block in the container. _________
2.8) Density calculation
(
g
)
(
ml
−
ml
)
=(
g
/
ml
)
2.9) Which material is denser? _______________
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Lab #2
Part 3: Mineral Properties, Virtual Experiment
Now you will go through several other properties of rocks using recordings of a second
simulator. Use the link given in Blackboard to go to the playlist for Virtual Minerals
Simulation and watch the first introduction video. For each of the properties listed in this part
of the lab, watch the related video and record your observations to complete the tables and
questions. Contact me for clarification as needed.
Color
Using the virtual simulation “minerals color observations” video, look at the samples as they
sit on the workbench. Describe the general color of each sample in the table below.
Mineral
Sample Color
Calcite
Mica
Quartz
Sulfur
Magnetite
Pyrite
Unknown
A mineral can have a slight impurity which
results in the sample having a very different
color than other samples of the same
mineral. For example the pictures to the side
show several forms of hematite in the image
on the left which range from reddish-brown
to dark grey. It also comes is a metallic
version. In the image of the right are several
forms of agates which can show a
tremendous range of colors.
For this reason, color is considered the
least
reliable
of the physical properties.
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Agates
PSC 153 – Earth/Space Science Lab v1 online
Lab #2
Streak
Use the virtual simulation “mineral streak experiment” to see each mineral rubbed across the
white rectangular plate (made of a material called porcelain). Note that some minerals might
not leave any color on the plate at all. In the table below indicate the color seen on the plate
after the streak test.
Mineral
Streak Color
Calcite
Mica
Quartz
Sulfur
Magnetite
Pyrite
Unknown
Streak color is much more consistent than the color of the overall minerals. Samples of
hematite will all have a dark brown streak and agates will all have a white streak.
Luster:
While luster can be very useful in identifying some minerals, the virtual simulation does not
do a very good job of clearly showing the difference is the luster of different materials.
Luster is best seen when a sample is moved in various directions under a lamp. Since the
simulation does not do a good job at showing this, I will not have you check all the samples.
Instead, I will point out just a few things. Use the video “minerals luster observations” to
answer the following questions.
Sulfur and magnetite had a
luster.
Pyrite had a
luster.
Quartz had a
luster
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Lab #2
Reaction to Acid:
Using the virtual simulation videos, watch the “minerals chemical test” video to see a test of
which mineral samples react to acid. You are watching to see if a small puff of vapor,
animation of bubbles, and a “sizzling” sound is heard which indicate that there was a
reaction. Mark the results in the table below by checking the boxes.
Mineral
Reacts
Doesn't react
Calcite
Mica
Quartz
Sulfur
Magnetite
Pyrite
Unknown
Magnetism:
Using the virtual simulation videos, watch the “minerals magnetic experiment” video to
determine which sample was magnetic. Fill in the table below with your results by checking
the boxes.
Mineral name
Mineral attracted
to the magnet
Iron filings
attracted to
mineral
Yes
No
Yes
No
Calcite
Mica
Quartz
Sulfur
Magnetite
Pyrite
Unknown
Comment on how the name Magnetite is related to these test results.
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Lab #2
Hardness
Hardness is measured in comparison to other
minerals. For example, a harder mineral can
scratch a softer mineral but the softer mineral
cannot scratch the harder mineral. To set a more
quantitative value for hardness, the Mohs scale of
hardness was developed using key minerals for
each number in the scale. Other materials can be
compared to the key minerals to determine their
place in the scale. A harder mineral will have a
larger number on the Mohs scale (see scale to the
right). You can watch the video on “mineral
hardness concept” for the background and
understand what it looks like in the simulation for
a reference sample to scratch a mineral.
You will now watch the “mineral hardness test”
video to observe the hardness of each mineral.
Check each mineral that was scratched by each
testing material in the chart below.
Mineral
Scratched by:
talc
fingernail
penny
glass
nail
topaz
Calcite
Mica
Quartz
Sulfur
Magnetite
Pyrite
Unknown
In general, you should expect that once a material is scratched by a testing sample, all harder
testing materials will also scratch it.
*note that the virtual simulation estimates the hardness of Mica as higher than most reference
sources. In reality, Mica would be scratched by glass and the steel nail. Adjust your table
above to show this for Mica.
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Lab #2
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We can now use this information to estimate the hardness of each mineral sample.
*
If the material was scratched by talc, it has a hardness of 1 or less.
*
If the material was scratched by a fingernail, it has a hardness of 2.5 or less.
*
If the material was scratched by a copper penny, it has a hardness of 3.5 or less.
*
If the material was scratched by glass, it has a hardness of 5.5 or less.
*
If the material was scratched by the steel nail, it has a hardness of 6.5 or less.
*
If the material was scratched by topaz, it has a hardness of 8 or less.
*
If the material was scratched by diamond, it has a hardness of 10 or less.
Therefore, if a material was not scratched by glass but was scratched by a steel nail, it would
have to have a hardness between 5.5 and 6.5 (estimate it as about 6).
Using the results of these tests, estimate the hardness of each of your samples based on the
virtual simulation and statement about Mica and enter these numbers in the boxes below each
mineral name.
Calcite
Mica
Quartz
Sulfur
Magnetite
Pyrite
Unknown
Based on the results you saw in your observations, answer the following questions.
Would you expect the Calcite to be able to scratch the Magnetite sample?
Would you expect the Calcite to be able to scratch the Sulfur sample?
Part 4: Cleavage
The concept of cleavage is another one where the virtual simulation does not do a very good
job of showing clear results. Instead, students will use some video footage of samples being
broken along with images of the samples after breaking to explore this concept.
View the video link in Blackboard entitled “Demonstrations of breaking rocks to show
cleavage”. Be aware the demonstrations are not necessarily in the same order as the
descriptions or questions to follow on the next page.
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Lab #2
Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break more easily along certain directions.
•
Some minerals show no cleavage and tend to fracture into randomly shaped pieces.
•
Minerals with 1 direction of cleavage tend to form flat sheets that separate fairly
easily.
•
Minerals with 2 directions of cleavage tend to form long tubes which may appear to
be bundled together and break into long strands.
•
Minerals with 3 directions of cleavage ten to break into other regular geometric
shapes
4.1) From the video what was the name of the mineral which clearly showed 1 direction of
cleavage? ________
_____
4.2) From the video demonstration what was the name of the mineral which clearly showed 2
directions of cleavage? ___
______
4.3) From the video demonstration what was the name of the mineral which showed no
cleavage? _____
_____
Other minerals can show cleavage in three directions and samples break
into regular 3D shapes with specific angles. Calcite is known for its
rhombohedral cleavage (see figure to the right for an example
rhombohedron). Halite on the other hand forms cubic sides with 90°
angles in all directions.
Consider the images below showing samples of a mineral after it has been broken. Based on
the information above, determine which image shows Calcite and which shows Halite.
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