Minerals are natural substances with consistent chemical composition that form naturally and exhibit solid form. Geologists use several properties of minerals as indicators: their lustre, hardness, streaking pattern and cleavage characteristics to distinguish among them.
Crystal structure of minerals determines their shape. There are seven separate crystal systems and other characteristics include: cleavage, specific gravity and radioactivity.
Pyrite
Pyrite is an abundant mineral in sedimentary environments that contains iron and sulfur. It typically forms due to bacteria breaking down sulfate ions present in pore water to produce pyritic sulfur crystals from which its name derives.
Pyrite can also be found in hydrothermal systems, where mineral-rich fluids circulating through fractures and contacts within rocks are heated by hot fluids containing hot metal ions; Pyrite forms as the principal constituent in certain types of hydrothermal vein deposits.
Pyrite is mined from both open-pit and underground mines using various extraction methods. At the mineral processing stage, pyrite undergoes crushing and grinding to increase liberation from its matrix rock; afterwards it is cut into different shapes and polished for use.
Hematite
Hematite is an abundant mineral in sedimentary environments. It forms from iron-rich fluids flowing through cracks and fissures in Earth’s crust, eventually precipitating into veins or deposits with banded iron ore deposits.
Hematite’s energy is known for balancing both receptive and projective energies, strengthening auras, and connecting to Earth energy. Furthermore, Hematite may increase vitality while supporting blood production and circulation while aiding detoxification processes, anemia treatment plans, and inflammation relief.
Hematite can range from silver-grey to dark reddish-brown in color and has an appealing submetallic or metallic luster, creating the possibility of transformation into iron oxide red pigment powder pigment through calcining and grinding processes.
Halite
Halite is an abundant marine evaporite mineral often used as table salt, formed when seawater evaporates leaving concentrated brine solutions which precipitate into halite crystals over time.
Halite crystals often form cubes with perfect cubic cleavage, as seen in this specimen. Furthermore, these crystals are highly hygroscopic – meaning that they absorb moisture from their surroundings – meaning that moisture from air moisture seeps in.
Halite can be found throughout Utah’s Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats as well as massive underground salt deposits like those beneath Texas and Louisiana. According to many theories, Halite helps cleanse negative energy while encouraging emotional balance.
Gypsum
Gypsum is a versatile mineral mined across the world for use in making building materials such as drywall, plaster and blocks, cement additives, agriculture applications and soil improvement applications.
Gypsum enhances acid soils by decreasing sodicity (a high concentration of sodium). This loosens compacted clay, increases water infiltration, promotes root growth and decreases toxic aluminium concentration by replacing it with calcium-rich soils – as well as helping prevent surface crusting.
Talc
Talc, or magnesium silicate, is a soft white mineral often used as a cosmetic and paper additive, and even more often as an effective lubricant and pharmaceutical ingredient. Although often mistaken as asbestos-related material, talcum powder does not appear to contribute towards ovarian cancer in any significant way.
Talc’s theoretical chemical composition is Mg3Si4O10(OH)2, while its polyhedral structure includes an octahedral brucite O layer sandwiched between two silica T layers that are only linked by weak van der Waals forces. Talc is naturally hydrophobic while some edges show signs of hydrophilicity.
Biotite
Biotite, another black mica found in many igneous rocks, resembles muscovite in that both forms are composed of easily fractured sheets that easily flake apart.
Biotite, with its abundance of potassium, makes it an invaluable mineral for radiometric dating techniques. Furthermore, it’s used in industrial ovens and heaters as protection from excessive heat damage.
XRD and TEM analyses revealed that acid activation of biotite causes distortion to its structure as well as iron oxidation from Fe2+ to Fe3+ due to edge site hydroxyl oxidation. Mixed activation accelerates this oxidation process significantly faster and produced significantly greater quantities of FES compared with other activations methods.
