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Characteristics of Minerals. By learning the different characteristics of minerals, you will be able to conduct tests to figure out which mineral is which
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By learning the different characteristics of minerals, you will be able to conduct tests to figure out which mineral is which • This helped me when I was in college and was on a field trip for my senior year Mineralogy course. We had to identify various minerals found in rocks by looking at: • The types of rocks they were found in • By testing with the characteristics of minerals • Looking at the minerals under a microscope
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary Color Mineral Characteristics
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary Color Streak The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Mineral Characteristics
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary Color Streak The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Luster Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky Mineral Characteristics
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary Color Streak The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Luster Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky Mineral Characteristics Hardness Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use the Mohs hardness scale
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary Color Streak The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Luster Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky Mineral Characteristics Hardness Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use the Mohs hardness scale Cleavage vs. Fracture Cleavage is when minerals break along smooth, flat surfaces and fracture is when minerals break unevenly
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary Color Streak The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Luster Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky Mineral Characteristics Hardness Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use the Mohs hardness scale Cleavage vs. Fracture Cleavage is when minerals break along smooth, flat surfaces and fracture is when minerals break unevenly Density A property of all matter; it is a ratio of an object’s mass to its volume D = m/v
Examples of Luster Metallic luster Nonmetallic luster; glassy
To Test for Hardness • The Mohs scale consists of minerals arranged from 1-10 with 1 being the softest and 10 being the hardest • Your fingernail has a hardness of 2.5, so if you can scratch the mineral with your nail then it must be less than 2.5 • A cooper penny has a hardness of 3.5 so if your nail can’t scratch a mineral but a penny can, then it must have a hardness between 2.5 and 3.5 • A wire nail has a hardness of 4.5 • A piece of glass has a hardness of 5.5 • A streak plate has a hardness of 6.5