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Minerals that easily separate into sheets when they break are referred to as "sheet silicates" or "phyllosilicates." Common examples include mica minerals such as muscovite and biotite, as well as clay minerals like kaolinite and montmorillonite. Their layered atomic structure allows them to cleave along preferential planes, resulting in the formation of thin sheets.

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Which silicate minerals separate into sheets when they break?

The mica group of silicate minerals cleave into thin sheets. O REALLY!!!!!!


How do you Remove chewing gum from sheets?

In order to remove chewing gum, start by freezing the sheets. THis can be done easily by putting them outside if it is winter where you are. The gum will then break off easily. Once you break the gum off, thaw the sheets, pretreat the remaining stain, and wash them as you normally would.


What are the soft silicate flakes found in many rocks?

The soft silicate flakes found in many rocks are likely to be mica minerals, such as muscovite or biotite. These minerals have a layered structure that allows them to break into thin flakes or sheets easily. Mica minerals are common in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.


What are the distinguishing characteristics of cleavage in minerals and how does it affect their physical properties?

Cleavage in minerals refers to the way they break along specific planes due to their atomic structure. The number and angle of cleavage planes can vary, affecting the mineral's physical properties such as its hardness, luster, and ability to split into thin sheets. Minerals with good cleavage tend to break more easily along these planes, while those with poor cleavage may fracture irregularly.


What is the direction mica has that makes it break into sheets?

Mica has a perfect cleavage in one direction due to its layered structure, which is composed of weak van der Waals bonds between the sheets of silicate tetrahedra. This unique arrangement allows mica to easily split into thin, flexible sheets when subjected to stress. The alignment of these layers facilitates this characteristic breakage, making it a distinctive feature of mica minerals.


Why isn't gneiss used to make tiles?

Gneiss does not easily break into flat sheets, so it is ill-suited for making tiles.


Is carbon able to break into thin sheets?

In for form of graphite it can be broken into graphene sheets. In other forms carbon does not break into sheets.


What is the tendency for some minerals such as mica to break or flat surfaces called?

The tendency for minerals like mica to break along flat surfaces is called cleavage. Cleavage occurs because the atomic structure of these minerals allows them to easily break along specific planes, resulting in flat, shiny surfaces.


Does the mica mineral break easily?

On Moh's scale Mica group minerals ranges 2.5 to 3.0 in hardness.


What kind of rock breaks apart easily has layers and little round pebbles in it?

The rock you are describing sounds like shale. Shale is a type of sedimentary rock that is made up of fine layers or sheets, which can easily break apart into smaller pieces. It often contains small round pebbles or grains of different minerals.


Is slate gritty breaks apart easily?

Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that can be somewhat gritty due to its composition of clay minerals. While it has a layered structure, it does not break apart easily under normal circumstances; instead, it can split into thin, flat sheets along its natural cleavage planes. However, if subjected to enough force, it can fracture. Overall, slate is known for its durability and resistance to breaking apart easily.


Lead of a pencil made up of what?

Generally it's made of graphite. Graphite is a substance made of carbon. The carbon atoms are bonded together in a particular way that allows "sheets" of graphite to break off easily. When you write something, some of these sheets break off and end up on your paper.