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What Is A Mineral?
Characteristics and properties used to identify minerals.
What are characteristics of minerals?
Solid Formed in nature Non-living Crystalline structure
Particles line up in a repeating pattern
What are the Six Physical Properties of Minerals?
Used to identify all minerals
1. Color
The surface color of the mineral Minerals come in a variety of colors
Examples of Mineral Colors
2. Luster
The way a surface reflects light.
(glassy, metallic, waxy, shiny, etc.)
Examples of Luster
MetallicLooks like metal
PearlyLooks like a pearl
Vitreous/GlassyLooks like glass
DullNon-
reflective
ResinousLook of dried
glue
EarthyLooks like dried mud
3. Streak
The color of the mineral in powdered form. Streak color and mineral color are often
different. Examples: Hematite – brick red Galena – steel gray Pyrite – brassy yellow or black Olivine – white Feldspar – white Talc – white Gypsum – colorless
Examples of Streak
4. Cleavage & Fracture
Cleavage = tendency of minerals to break along a flat surface.
Fracture = tendency of minerals to break unevenly along a curved or irregular surface
Examples of Cleavage
Cube or cubic
Octahedronor Octahedral
Pinacoid –2 parallel faces
PrismPyramid
Dome
Examples of Fracture
Subconchoidal Uneven
Jagged Splintery Earthy
Conchoidal
5. Hardness
A mineral’s resistance to being scratched. Any mineral with a higher hardness rating can
scratch a mineral with a lower hardness rating.
Diamond is the hardest natural substance known to humans.
Moh’s Hardness Scale1. Talc 2. Gypsum
--fingernail at 2.5 3. Calcite
--copper (old penny) at 3.5 4. Fluorite 5. Apatite
--window glass or typical knife blade at under 5.5 6. Orthoclase
--streak plate or good steel file at over 6.5 7. Quartz 8. Topaz 9. Corundum 10. Diamond
6. Density
How much matter there is in a given amount of space.
Galena – specific gravity = 7.4 to 7.6
What are some Special Properties?
Fluorescence Magnetism Light refraction
Taste Odor
What are some uses of minerals?
Coins Jewelry Electrical wires Batteries Paint Steel Building materials etc.
Rocks are made out of minerals, but minerals are
not made of rocks.