Minerals
3rd lecture from the course “Introduction to Geology”
1. General features
Minerals are chemical compounds or individual chemical elements that have a specific
crystal structure and are stable under certain physicochemical conditions.
A) strictly defined chemical composition
B) structure - represent crystalline, solid substances in which the atoms are arranged
regularly in three-dimensional space
C) inorganic, natural substances - obtained naturally during the geological process of
crystallization, which occurs when ions in natural solutions pass into solid compounds or
into the minerals themselves. The growth of minerals occurs by adding new portions of
ions. There are also synthetic ones, but they are amorphous - they do not have ordered
atoms and a crystal structure
D) symmetry - according to the degree of symmetry, they are divided into classes called
syngonium, which are seven, with the symmetry increasing with the consecutive
number:
– NICHE CATEGORY SINGONIA:
1. Triclinic syngony 2. Monoclinic syngony 3. Rhombic syngony
– MEDIUM CATEGORY SINGONIA:
4. Trigonal syngony 5. Tetragonal syngony 6. Hexagonal syngony
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3rd lecture from the course “Introduction to Geology”
1. General features
Minerals are chemical compounds or individual chemical elements that have a specific
crystal structure and are stable under certain physicochemical conditions.
A) strictly defined chemical composition
B) structure - represent crystalline, solid substances in which the atoms are arranged
regularly in three-dimensional space
C) inorganic, natural substances - obtained naturally during the geological process of
crystallization, which occurs when ions in natural solutions pass into solid compounds or
into the minerals themselves. The growth of minerals occurs by adding new portions of
ions. There are also synthetic ones, but they are amorphous - they do not have ordered
atoms and a crystal structure
D) symmetry - according to the degree of symmetry, they are divided into classes called
syngonium, which are seven, with the symmetry increasing with the consecutive
number:
– NICHE CATEGORY SINGONIA:
1. Triclinic syngony 2. Monoclinic syngony 3. Rhombic syngony
– MEDIUM CATEGORY SINGONIA:
4. Trigonal syngony 5. Tetragonal syngony 6. Hexagonal syngony
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