Minerals are basic building blocks in geology. Composed of chemical elements bon
ID: 287613 • Letter: M
Question
Minerals are basic building blocks in geology. Composed of chemical elements bonded together, they in turn are the ingredients for the rocks that compose our planet. Geologists define a mineral very precisely; it must be an inorganic, naturally occurring solid at normal temperatures, with a well-defined chemical composition and an orderly crystalline structure. Despite these rigid requirements, there are actually over 4000 minerals, from common ones like quartz, calcite, halite and hematite to less common examples like joesmithite and pseudo-ixiolite. Some are collected as gemstones, while others have various uses, from industry to cosmetics.
Choose one mineral to share with the class this week. Tell us a bit about it -- what it looks like, and what some of its characteristics are. Then explain how humans have put that mineral to use in our everyday lives.
Explanation / Answer
Gypsum: The mineral I have chosen is gypsum. Gypsum is a sulphate mineral. It looks like a glass and transparent crystal. It also has a color of yellow, blue, reddish brown or gray due to the presence of impurities which reflect different color lights. It occurs in sedimentary rocks.
Characteristics of Gypsum: It has hydrogen bonding. It is moderately soluble in water. Gypsum has a white streak and waxy luster. The specific gravity of gypsum is 2.32.
Uses of Gypsum:
Gypsum has been widely used as a fertilizer due to the presence of sulphate. In agriculture it is used to settle the soil well before planting. Plants need calcium and sulphate to grow and since Gypsum is soluble in water over time, it is used in soil to help in the overall plant growth. Gypsum looses the heavy soil due to overcropping or application of loads over a time to be useful in planting trees or grasses. As fibrous roots in plants find hard time in penetrating through hard soils.
Gypsum is widely used in construction industry to create plaster of paris and as a retarder in cement to increase its durability.