Introduction to the Role of Minerals
As a few other principles of geology, the rock cycle is used to clarify how rocks are created, Role of Minerals modified and eventually destroyed. It refers to three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.
- Igneous Rocks: The rocks which are formed by the cooling and solidification of molten material or lava are known as igneous rocks.
- Sedimentary Rocks: The sediments after deposition undergo compaction to yield a sedimentary layer which is created by the addition of sediment.
What Are Minerals and Role of Minerals?
Minerals are defined as naturally occurring, inorganic solid substances with a unique and ordered atomic arrangement. They occur due to activities in the Earth’s crust and are the basic components of the earth, which are soil and rocks.
Characteristics of Minerals:
- Inorganic nature (biogenic absence): Processes involving plants and animals do not give rise to this.
- Definite chemical composition. There are a fixed number of elements in every mineral.
- Crystalline structure: Regularly repeated tissue arrangement of atoms.
- Physical properties: These include color, hardness, luster and even cleavage.
- Optional Processes: They may also be results of radioactive decay, volcanic activity introducing pressure and temperature changes on existing elements.
Formation of Minerals: An Overview
These processes result in different types of minerals forming within the earth at different depths. These include cooling and solidification of magma. They also may be synthesized under conditions of extreme heat and pressure deep inside the earth’s crust. Moreover, mineralization can occur through the cooling of hydrothermal fluids or through geologic reactions.
Key Formation Processes
- Crystallization from Magma: During the cooling of the magma, various mineral phases will crystallize at different crystal formation temperatures.
- Metamorphism: A process of alteration takes place wherein the property of high temperature and high pressure will also cause the growth of new minerals.
- Hydrothermal Processes: The hot and very concentrated solution causes minerals to crystallize.
Factors Affecting the Process of Mineral Formation
- Temperature: Determines which minerals crystallize last as magma cools.
- Pressure: Certain minerals are stable under elevated pressure conditions.
- Chemical Composition: Determines the types of minerals present.
The Function of Role of Minerals in Igneous Rocks
The composition of Igneous rocks consists mainly of minerals which are the ones responsible for determining the texture, color as well as density of the rock. These types of rocks are the result of cooling and solidification of molten rock or magma.
- Silicate Minerals:
- Quartz
- Feldspar
- Mica
- Olivine
- Non-Silicate Minerals:
- Magnetite
- Ilmenite
Factors determining the mineral makeup of these types of rocks include;
- Cooling Rate:
- Heating=slow or large crystals
- Freezing=fast or smaller crystals
- Chemical Composition:
- Dictates or specifies mineral types
The types of combinations of minerals in these rocks give an indication of the geological activities such as volcanism and tectonic activities.
The Function of Role of Minerals in Sedimentary Rocks
Minerals forming sedimentary rocks are formed by weathering and erosion, the forming of rock by all the processes that form and wash away rock and the formation of sedimentary rock. These types of rock mainly contain quartz, calcite and clay minerals. Sedimentary rocks can be subdivided into clastics and chemicals.
- Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
- Rocks that consist of broken pieces of pre-existing rock.
- Common minerals of a sedimentary basalt: Quartz, Feldspar, Clay.
Let us move now to the second Subclass. Chemical Sedimentary Rocks Formed as a result of the precipitation of minerals dissolved in fluids. Silver: Calcite, Halite, Gypsum.
These minerals serve to describe the rock type and the associated characteristics of the environment. Certain minerals and textures of the sediments may change from diagenesis, which occurs after the sediments are deposited. This includes cementation, crystal formation and compacting. Each addition to a rock gives some information on the history of the rock’s deposition.
Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is simply defined as a pre-existing rock type that has experienced transformation under high temperature, high pressure and chemically active fluids. Minerals have importance here as they:
- Assist in recrystallization: Tamotransport bare minerals operate further on the new mineral assemblage via-Recrystallization.
- Progression of metamorphism: Some minerals such as garnet, kyanite constitute evidence of the metamorphic history of the particular rock.
- Adjusting rocks: Minerals adjust to conditions of P-T, and such adjustment promotes stability.
- Preserving geobiological information: Minerals of metamorphic origin preserve records of tectonism and associated conditions.
Mineral Weathering and Soil Formation
Up next, allow me to discuss something on Mineral Weathering and Soil Formation. This is the process that leads to fracture rock into smaller particles which eventually leads to soil. This process has the following:
- Physical Weathering:
- Temperature cycles that result in expanding and contracting.
- Freeze-thaw action causes decompression of rocks.
- Water and Weathering Types:
Every single thing, whether it is organic or inorganic or living or dead will all undergo major transformations due to forces like wind, water and ice.
- Chemical Weathering:
For farmers who are worried about prolonged precipitation in their region this is one important geological fact. Hydrolysis of feldspar with arbitrary percentages into clay minerals.
Ferrous minerals like bread or biotites turn into rust or yellowish green compounds over time. Role of Minerals Hydration powder minerals reactions that use water or carbon compounds in carbonic acid that metamorphose.
These processes facilitate the release of key elements making it possible for biological processes to take place with high soil productivity. So, we see climate change has a direct influence on agriculture areas and therefore the productivity of the ecosystems.
Mineral Resources and Their Economic Importance
Mineral resources and their production are the lifeblood of industrial civilization within the information age.
- Metals because modern construction, transport and electronics demand an increasing amount of iron, copper, and aluminum rather than bricks and trees.
- Non metal such as gemstones and limestone for homes and art mainly for buildings and other construction materials.
Extraction of these resources generates employment opportunities and develops the infrastructure. Trade in the mineral resources of the world strengthens its economies and brings revenues to the countries. Managing such resources in an appropriate way is vital for economic development.
The Environmental Impact of Mineral Extraction
Mining operations will of course disturb the environment. The negative impacts of mining activities are listed below. Generally most common such impacts may result in: Mining often transforms the landscape as well as the ecosystem by stripping the vegetation cover and thus increasing the erosion. General environmental impacts include:
- Habitat Destruction: Trees are cut down and land cleared for mining. Animals and insects living in these areas are moved.
- Water Pollution: Contaminants from mining activities are likely to contaminate water sources and endanger aquatic organisms.
- Air Pollution: Dust, fumes and emissions from construction activities make air pollution a big danger.
- Waste Generation: The displacement of earth in the surface mining operations leads to formation of massive waste dumps which may cause pollution.
In any case, since mineral extraction activities come with an environmental cost, strategies for eliminating or reducing the damage to the environment have to be put in place and followed.
Conclusion: Role of Minerals and the interactions within the Rock Cycle
The arrangement and movement of rocks are chemically controlled by the relationships existing between the minerals. Some of the important parameters are:
- Mineral composition: Indicates the type and strength of rocks.
- Crystallization: Affects the texture of the rocks.
- Pressure and temperature: Catalyze metamorphosis.
“Minerals interact, and these interactions lead to movements and chemical changes in the Earth’s crust.”
Likewise minerals participate in soil development and the weathering of rocks.
- Igneous rocks: Arise from magma containing abundant minerals.
- Sedimentary rocks: Consist of layers of minerals.
Therefore, the mineralogical characteristics should be understood in order to appreciate the complexities of the rock cycle.
References and Further Reading
- D. J. Vaughan and J. A. Wogelius, Environmental Mineralogy, EMU Notes in Mineralogy, vol. 2, Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 2014.
- Hawthorne, F. C. (Ed.). (2003). Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Geology in Reviews in mineralogy Volume 18;. Mineralogical Society of America, 2003.
- Heaney P. J., C. T. Prewitt and G. V. Gibbs Eds. Silica b. _Physical Behavior Geochemistry and Materials Applications in Reviews in Mineralogy Volume 29. Mineralogical Society of America, 1994.
- Grove T. L. and Carpenter R.C. Eds. Ore Microscopy and Ore Petrography. Wiley New York, 1990.
- Blasius and E. Wulf. Fluorescence and Raman Spectroscopy of Minerals and Materials, 2012.
- Nesse W. D. Introduction to Mineralogy. Oxford University Press. 2011.
- Modreski P.J. Mineral thermodynamics and phase equilibria. Journal of Petrology. vol.38 no.8 pp 1107-1136 2001.
- Marsh B. D. Basalt lava flows and field relations In Igneous Petrology Prentice Hall 1991.