Minerals present in granite
In this activity, students identify the main minerals present in granite and investigate some of their properties.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
identify the rock known as granite
recognise and identify the main minerals present in granite
state some of the physical properties associated with each of the component minerals
effectively use optical aids such as hand lenses and simple binocular microscopes.
Granite
This diagram is a magnified schematic that shows the mineral make-up of the igneous rock known as granite. The main minerals present are feldspars, micas and quartz. The arrangement of these minerals in the rock is purely random.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
instructions on what you need and what to do
discussion questions
ideas for extending your students
student worksheet.
Related content
Before doing this activity, ensure your students understand what is clay and what are minerals.
Related activity ideas
Measuring the specific gravity of quartz – measure the specific gravity of a sample of the mineral quartz.
Crystal systems – investigate crystal shapes and crystal systems. Traditional ceramics are clay-based – clays have a mineral composition and minerals have a crystalline structure.
