How Minerals Form?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHfO8pmaXMg

From a solution

From Magma & Lava

Minerals from Magma

Minerals form as hot magma cools inside the crust- or as lava

hardens on the surface.

When these liquids cool to a solid state, they form crystals.

http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfjps/1300/igneous_images.html

Size Differences

Cooling Rate

Amount of Gas in Magma

Chemical Composition

DepthMineral crystals vary greatly in size. The photo above shows an

extremely thin slice of dunite, an igneous

rock, as viewed with a special micro-

scope

Magma deep below the surface

Cools over thousands of years

Forms large crystals

Grow by adding atoms in a regularpat-tern

Geodes are formed as gas bubbles in the magma cool

and harden.

Magma close to the surface

MUCH faster

Smaller Crystals

LAVA

Diamonds

Extremely high temperatures and pressures under earth.

Brought towards the surface by explosion.

Explosions form narrow pipes called kimberlites where the diamonds can be mined.

Minerals from Solutions

Solution: a mixture where one substance is dissolved into another.

Elements and compounds are dissolved in water and leave a solution form crystals.

Underground and above ground bodies of water

Mixture So-lution

Evaporation

Water form the solution evaporates leaving the mineral behind.

Ancient oceans evaporating leave minerals beind

“Salt fields”

Hot Water SolutionsMagma heats ground water and the elements/compounds dissolve into the water.

The solution cools and the elements/compounds leave the crystalize.

Often form veins.

The solution of hot water will flow through the crack in between rock and form crystals.

Gold veins in between rocks.