Clue 1 - Minerals - Station 2     Minerals in igneous rocks: Quartz
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
8:39 AM
Station 2:  Quartz
Second most common mineral in the Earth's crust
To learn more
Click on the image to see other colors of quartz.
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Definition of a mineral
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Uses of silicon
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Making glass out of quartz
From Wikipedia
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More about quartz
Quartz 
From Wikipedia
Observe all of the minerals at this station.   They are all forms of the mineral quartz.   Quartz is the second most common mineral in the Earth's crust and a key mineral in the igneous rocks granite and rhyolite.  It is resistant to weathering and also found in many sandstones which are not igneous but sedimentary in origin.
Observe all of the quartz specimens.
What color is quartz?  ● 
Is quartz clear or opaque?  ●
Observe the 3D model of quartz that shows the types and arrangement of atoms that make up the mineral quartz. 
3D model or quartz
From the Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules
What kinds of atoms (elements) make up quartz?  
Quartz is made up of incredibly tiny objects called atoms.  Atoms come in different types such as gold and carbon.  Atoms are so small that too small to see through a microscope.  
The atoms that make up quartz are the most common elements in the Earth's crust.
Observe the specimen of pure silicon.
What color is pure silicon?  ● 
This specimen is made up of only silicon atoms.
Is silicon transparent or opaque?  ● 
Transparent is another word meaning "clear."  
Observe oxygen in  the air around you.  
Take a deep breath and think of all the atoms of oxygen that have gone into your lungs along with atoms of nitrogen. The oxygen atoms in your last breath have crossed into your bloodstream and are now racing around your body!
What color is pure oxygen?
Is oxygen in the air transparent or opaque?
To think about:
Based on appearances of pure silicon and pure oxygen, does quartz made up of both  atoms look like what you expected?  Explain your thoughts.
When you combine different kinds of atoms, you may not get what you expected.  So how do you predict?  That's what you'll learn in chemistry class during high school and college!  