Please, help with question

[RomanRodinskiy]

Rocks and minerals undergo interesting transformations over time. In particular, one of the minerals, which has a relatively high hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale, turns into a common secondary mineral with a hardness of 2. Over time, as a result of weathering, it turns into one of the most common soft rocks in the world. But the transformation does not end there: humanity (in particular, on the territory of Ukraine) even in ancient times invented how to make the first solid artificial material from it. What kind of minerals, rock and artificial material are these?

[studiot]

11 minutes ago, RomanRodinskiy said:

Rocks and minerals undergo interesting transformations over time. In particular, one of the minerals, which has a relatively high hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale, turns into a common secondary mineral with a hardness of 2. Over time, as a result of weathering, it turns into one of the most common soft rocks in the world. But the transformation does not end there: humanity (in particular, on the territory of Ukraine) even in ancient times invented how to make the first solid artificial material from it. What kind of minerals, rock and artificial material are these?

Hello, Roman, and welcome.

I don't know if this is homework or not ?   -  but it really belongs in Earth Science anyway.

 

We don't do people's homwork here, just help them find the answer for themselves.

So a suggestion,

I wasn't aware that there was any civilisation in what is now the Ukraine before the Babylonians, but I think the answer you are looking for can be found by looking up Hammurabi and how his laws were written.

See what you make of this hint and tell us about the homework or source of the question please.

[Sensei]

Looks like puzzle of some kind. Search net for the Mohs scale, lookup mineral with 6, lookup 2, and deduce what kind of mineral it is.

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by Sensei

[RomanRodinskiy]

Thanks guys. It`s not Homework, just some extra Tournaments)

 

[exchemist]

2 hours ago, RomanRodinskiy said:

Rocks and minerals undergo interesting transformations over time. In particular, one of the minerals, which has a relatively high hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale, turns into a common secondary mineral with a hardness of 2. Over time, as a result of weathering, it turns into one of the most common soft rocks in the world. But the transformation does not end there: humanity (in particular, on the territory of Ukraine) even in ancient times invented how to make the first solid artificial material from it. What kind of minerals, rock and artificial material are these?

If one thinks of the most widespread mineral material used by early man for building and for early artifacts, the rest can be confirmed fairly easily, using Moh hardness as a check. 

[studiot]

1 hour ago, RomanRodinskiy said:

Thanks guys. It`s not Homework, just some extra Tournaments)

 

OK I'll accept that it is not homework.

I do not see any essential difference between looking up on Google and asking a real person so

 

Granite has a Moh's hardness of 5.5 - 6.5 and decays by chenmical weathering to clay, which was (and still is) used to make bricks and tiles and of course Hammurabi's famous clay tablets for writing cuneiform on.

[RomanRodinskiy]

Thank you for your replies. Tell me, please, if it could be Artaclase, Gypsum, Alabaster?

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by RomanRodinskiy
other sens

[exchemist]

8 hours ago, RomanRodinskiy said:

Thank you for your replies. Tell me, please, if it could be Artaclase, Gypsum, Alabaster?

 

What is the Mohs scale hardness of each of these? What is artaclase?

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by exchemist

[studiot]

38 minutes ago, exchemist said:

What is the Mohs scale hardness of each of these? What is artaclase?

 

I expect he means orthoclase, which is the softer of the two main minerals in granite.