Chapter 3, Problem 1GST

To determine

The status of gold nugget, seawater, obsidian, ruby, quartz, glacial ice, cubic zirconia and amber being a mineral or not.

Answer to Problem 1GST

Gold nugget, ruby, quartz and glacial ice are minerals and seawater, obsidian, cubic zirconia and amber are not considered as minerals and they don’t fit the criteria of being a mineral.

Explanation of Solution

“A mineral is an inorganic, naturally occurring solid formed by geological processes, possessing a crystalline structure and a definable chemical composition.”

1. a) Gold nugget - Gold is an example of a mineral, classified as a native element.
2. b) Seawater is not a mineral because minerals by definition are solids.
3. c) Obsidian is not a mineral because it lacks an internal arrangement of atoms, however, it is an igneous rock.
4. d) Ruby is a mineral. It is a gemstone variety of mineral corundum.
5. e) Quartz is a mineral.
6. f) Glacial ice is a mineral, as it meets all of the criteria of a mineral.
7. g) Cubic zirconia is not a mineral as it is not naturally occurring, made in laboratories or by human interference.
8. h) Amber is not a mineral since it has an organic origin.