Physical Properties Of Minerals

12 NOV 14

Starter:Students collected mineral samples on a field trip and tested them for different properties. The students used the Moh’s Hardness scale to determine the identity of the mineral. They determined that the mineral had a hardness of 4.5. Which of the following statements is true about the mineral?

Mineral  HardnessDiamond 10Corundum 9Topaz 8Quartz 7Feldspar 6Apatite 5Fluorite 4Copper Penny 3.5

Calcite 3Fingernail 2.5Gypsum 2Talc 1

A  the mineral can scratch talc and be scratched by calciteB  the mineral is harder than topaz but not harder than apatiteC  the mineral can scratch a copper penny and be scratched by feldspar.D  the mineral is harder than fluorite and feldspar.

4.5

Practice

Properties of

Minerals

Streak

Cleavage

Fracture

Luster

Hardness

Color

Color

• Some have only one color- ex: gold

• Others have a variety of colors-ex: Calcite can be pink, blue, orange, red, brown, white, clear

Streak

• Color of crushed mineral powder

• A mineral always has same color streakex: Calcite can be pink, blue, orange but the streak is always white.

Cleavage

• Minerals are made of crystals

• When broken, the crystal has a particular shape

Fracture

• The way mineral is broken down

• Smooth, irregular, jagged, splintery

Luster

• Way surface reflects light

• Metallic, silky, pearly, dull

Hardness

• Resistance to being scratched

• Measure Mohs’ hardness scale

• 1 is the softest-10 is the hardest

Application/ connection:

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