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Elements, minerals and rocks

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What are minerals made of, and how does bonding control their properties?

Elements, atomic structure and bonding: the major rock-forming elements; atomic structure (protons, neutrons and electrons) and isotopes; ionic, covalent and metallic bonding; how the type of bonding and the arrangement of atoms control the physical properties of minerals such as hardness and cleavage.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology statement on elements and bonding. Covers the major rock-forming elements, atomic structure and isotopes, ionic, covalent and metallic bonding, and how bonding and atomic arrangement control mineral properties such as hardness, cleavage and density.
13 min answer →

Which physical properties let you identify a mineral in hand specimen?

Identifying minerals by physical properties: hardness (the Mohs scale), cleavage and fracture, lustre, colour and streak, habit, density (specific gravity) and special properties (magnetism, reaction with acid); and the use of these diagnostic properties to identify the common rock-forming and ore minerals in hand specimen.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology statement on mineral identification. Covers hardness and the Mohs scale, cleavage and fracture, lustre, colour and streak, habit, density and special properties, and how to combine diagnostic properties to identify common minerals in hand specimen for Component 1.
13 min answer →

What practical tests and field skills let you identify minerals and rocks safely and record them?

Mineral and rock tests and field skills: the practical tests used to identify minerals and rocks (hardness, acid, magnet, streak, density); the recording of field observations through field sketches, annotated specimens and sampling; and the fieldwork requirement (a minimum of four days for the A-level) and how practical and fieldwork skills are assessed within the written components.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology practical and fieldwork statement. Covers the practical tests for identifying minerals and rocks, recording with field sketches and sampling, the four-day fieldwork requirement, and how Eduqas assesses practical and fieldwork skills within the written components rather than a separate endorsement.
13 min answer →

How are silicate minerals built, and how do we classify the major mineral groups?

Silicate minerals and mineral classification: the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron as the building block of silicates; the polymerisation series from isolated tetrahedra (olivine) through chains (pyroxenes, amphiboles) and sheets (micas, clays) to frameworks (quartz, feldspars); and the classification of non-silicate minerals into carbonates, oxides, sulphides, halides and native elements.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology statement on silicate structures and mineral groups. Covers the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron, the polymerisation series from isolated tetrahedra to frameworks, the silicate families (olivine, pyroxenes, amphiboles, micas, feldspars, quartz), and the classification of carbonates, oxides, sulphides, halides and native elements.
14 min answer →

How are the three rock families linked by the rock cycle?

The rock cycle and rock classification: the threefold classification of rocks into igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic; the processes that link them (crystallisation, weathering, erosion, transport, deposition, compaction and cementation, burial, metamorphism, melting and uplift); and the role of the surface (external) and internal processes driven by solar energy and the Earth's internal heat.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology statement on the rock cycle. Covers the threefold classification of rocks, the surface and internal processes that link them (crystallisation, weathering, transport, deposition, lithification, metamorphism, melting and uplift), and the energy sources that drive the cycle.
13 min answer →