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What is it and where is it formed?
Asbestos is a group of minerals that look like they have
fibers sticking out of them. It forms in
metamorphic rock. |
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How and where is it mined?
It is mined using the surface
open-pit kind of mining. It
is mined in Russia, Canada, China, and other countries. We
don’t mine it in the United States anymore because it causes
health problems. |
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What is it used for?
Asbestos is used in: insulation and fireproofing because it
is heat resistant. It can take a lot of heat before it
melts. For a long time, it was made into things that were
used to hold hot things in kitchens [potholders] and in
industry. It used to be put around hot water pipes to keep
the pipes from cooling down. Now it has been proven that
asbestos can cause health problems like cancer, so it is not
used much anymore. |
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Interesting!
Asbestos was used
in buildings for shingles, floor tiles, and insulation. Now it
can only be used for things that won’t
allow the fibers to float in the air. Asbestos is only a health problem
if the fibers get into the
air. It can be used in things like truck brakes and roofs where the
fibers
won’t be breathed in. |
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Asbestos + serpentite |
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The U.S. uses 50% of all asbestos
that is mined. |
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Mineral Characteristic |
What the
mineralogists say |
Kid's Guide: What it REALLY
means! |
| Chemical Symbol |
Mg3Si2O5(OH)4 |
It has magnesium, iron, aluminum, nickel, zinc, and
manganese in it. |
| Color |
Yellow, green, brown, black, cream-white |
These are its usual colors. |
| Streak |
White |
If this mineral was crushed into a powder, the dust would
be white. |
| Transparency |
Translucent to opaque. Rarely transparent. |
If you looked through this mineral, it might be blurry
or not be able to be seen through at all. |
| Luster |
Silky, greasy, waxy |
If you shine a light on this mineral, the outside would
look silky or greasy. |
| Cleavage |
None |
It forms fibers so it is hard to tell how it is
breaking. |
| Fracture |
Conchoidal, splintery |
It is brittle and breaks easily into pieces that are
smooth. |
| Magnetism |
Not magnetic |
It is not attracted to and will not attract a magnet. |
| Hardness |
2 - 5 |
Different kinds of asbestos are harder than others.
Most of them are on the softer to middle range of the
Moh’s Hardness scale. Some are soft enough to be
scratched by a penny! |
| Specific gravity |
2.2 |
The weight of this mineral is average—not very light or
very heavy. |
| Crystal Shape |
Monoclinic |
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Asbestos fibers |
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Links:
Printer friendly version |
Citations:
“Asbestos.” 24 Oct. 2005. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photoasbes.html>.
“Chrysotile.” 24 Oct. 2005. <http://www.webmineral.com/data/Chrysotile.shtml>.
Zim, Herbert S.
Rocks and minerals: a guide to familiar minerals, gems, ores and
rocks. New York: Golden Press, 1957. |
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