A list of distinguishing characteristics of the minerals studied in the Geo 100 lab is now posted. Suggestions for its improvement are welcome. Fine specimens of approximately 200 different types of minerals are on display in the Greene Gallery, along with lots of fossils collected from southeastern Wisconsin and around the world. Two isotopes of a given element are two atoms with the same number of protons and a different number of neutrons , so different isotopes of the same element have different atomic masses. Ionic Electrostatic attraction between ions of opposite charge Commonly weaker than covalent, stronger than hydrogen or Van der Waals Covalent Electrons are shared by two or more nuclei Ionic and covalent can be mixed.
Calcite is almost fully covalent, halite is ionic, but quartz is almost equally covalent and ionic.
Each atom occupies a predictable position within the crystal lattice, and the lattice geometry is consistent over significant atomic distances within the mineral grain. As a result of its unique structure and composition, each type of mineral has characteristic physical properties that geologists use to identify it. There are approximately 2000 different mineral species in Earth, mostly in the crust. The most common minerals in Earth's lithosphere are given as percentages of the lithosphere in the table below. Minerals can be grouped into a number of chemical families, including native elements, sulfides, sulfarsenides, arsenides, tellurides, sulfo-salts, oxides, hydroxides, halides, carbonates, borates, sulfates, chromates, tungstates, molybdates, phosphates, arsenates, vanadates, and silicates.