Name
Class
Date
Skills Worksheet
Chapter 1 section 1­­ Inside the Restless Earth /23
Section: What Is a Mineral?
1. What is a mineral? (definition needs 4 details)
4pts
MINERAL STRUCTURE
______ 2. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a mineral?
a. It is a solid.
c. It is nonliving material.
b. It has a crystalline structure.
d. It is formed in a laboratory.
Match the correct definition with the correct term. Write the letter in the space
provided.
______ 3. the smallest part of an element that has all
the properties of that element
______ 4. a substance that cannot be broken down
into a simpler substance by chemical means
______ 5. a substance made of two or more elements
that have been chemically bonded
a. crystal
b. atom
c. element
d. compound
e. native element
______ 6. a solid whose atoms, ions, or molecules are
arranged in a definite pattern
______ 7. a mineral that is composed of only one
element
TWO GROUPS OF MINERALS
8. Minerals are divided into two groups based on their chemical composition.
What are the two groups?
2pts
9. Minerals that contain silicon and oxygen are called
.
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
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Directed Reading A continued
2pts
10. Which silicate minerals are the main component of most of Earth’s rocks?
11. Which silicate minerals separate easily into sheets when they break?
12. What silicate mineral is the basic building block of many rocks?
Match the correct description with the correct term. Write the letter in the space
provided.
______13. minerals that contain sulfur and oxygen
a. native elements
b. carbonates
______14. copper, gold, and silver
c. halides
______15. minerals that contain one or more elements
like lead or iron combined with sulfur
d. oxides
______16. minerals that contain carbon and oxygen
f. sulfides
e. sulfates
______ 17. minerals that form when an element such as
aluminum or iron combine with oxygen
______18. minerals that are compounds containing
fluorine, chlorine, iodine, or bromine
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
Name
Class
Date
Skills Worksheet
Chapter 1 section 2­­ Inside the Restless Earth /19
Section: Identifying Minerals
COLOR
1. Air and water can change the color of a mineral. What other factor can
change its color?
LUSTER
2. The way a surface reflects light is called
.
3. What are the three types of mineral luster?
3pts
STREAK
4. The color of a mineral in powdered form is called the mineral’s
.
5. Why is using a mineral’s streak more reliable than using color to identify a
mineral?
CLEAVAGE AND FRACTURE
6. Name two minerals with cleavage, a tendency to break along smooth, flat
surfaces.
2pts
7. The tendency of some minerals to break unevenly along curved or irregular
surfaces is called
.
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
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Directed Reading A continued
HARDNESS
______ 8. A mineral’s resistance to being scratched is called
a. weight.
c. luster.
b. streak.
d. hardness.
9. What does the Mohs hardness scale determine?
10. What is the softest mineral on the Mohs scale?
DENSITY
11. The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance is its
.
12. What substance is the usual reference point for the density of other
substances?
13. The ratio of an object’s density to the density of water is called the object’s
.
SPECIAL PROPERTIES
14. The special property of calcite and fluorite that causes them to glow under
ultraviolet light is called
.
15. A Geiger counter can be used to detect
in a mineral.
16. A special property of magnetite is that it is a natural ______________________
that attracts iron.
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
Name
Class
Date
Skills Worksheet
Chapter 1 section 3­­ Inside the Restless Earth /25
Section: The Formation, Mining, and Use of Minerals
Match the correct description with the correct term. Write the letter in the space
provided.
1. When changes in pressure, temperature, or chemical make-up alter a rock,
takes place.
2. Name two minerals that may be left behind when a body of salt water
evaporates.
2pts
3. Gemstones such as topaz may form in teardrop-shaped bodies called
.
4. Name two minerals that crystallize out of ground water that has been heated
by magma.
2pts
5. Mica and feldspar form from slowly cooling magma that solidifies into a
.
6. What two minerals may form when materials dissolved in water crystallize on
the bottoms of lakes and seas?
2pts
MINING
7. A mineral deposit large and pure enough to be mined for profit is called a(n)
.
8. Name the two methods by which rocks and minerals are removed from the
ground.
2pts
9. Open pits and quarries are types of
mines.
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
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Date
Directed Reading A continued
10. If a mineral deposit is located deep within the earth,
mining methods are used to mine the deposit.
RESPONSIBLE MINING
11. Describe two problems that can result from mining.
2pts
12. The process of returning land to its original state after mining is
.
13. One way to reduce the effects of mining is to reduce our need for minerals.
How can we reduce our need for minerals?
THE USE OF MINERALS
2pts 14. Metallic minerals are good conductors of
and
.
15. Some metallic minerals can be processed into
that
can be pounded or pressed into various shapes.
16. Silica and gypsum are
minerals that are widely
used in industry.
17. Nonmetallic minerals that are valued for their beauty and rarity rather than
their usefulness are called
.
18. What are two important characteristics of gemstones?
2pts
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
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Activity
Chapter 1 Vocabulary­­ Inside the Restless Earth /25
Digging Deeper
After you finish reading the chapter, try this puzzle! Look at the clues below, and
then write the terms being described in the blanks on the next page. The boxed
letters will spell out a new phrase.
1. inorganic solid with a crystalline structure found in nature
2. shiny luster
3. the way a surface reflects light
4. the tendency of some minerals to break unevenly
5. Mohs scale measures the _____ of a mineral.
6. the smallest part of an element that has all the properties of that element
7. substances that cannot be broken down by chemical means
8. the tendency of some minerals to break along flat surfaces
9. type of mineral that contains oxygen and silicon
10. the ratio of mass to volume of a substance
11. solid, geometric forms of minerals produced by a repeating pattern of atoms
12. the color of the powdered form of a mineral
13. returning the land to its original state after mining
14. mineral deposit large enough and pure enough to be mined for profit
15. Halides, oxides, and sulfates are examples of _____ minerals.
16. takes place when changes in pressure, temperature, or chemical make-up
alter a rock
17. a piece of unglazed porcelain used to test a mineral’s streak
18. A mineral that is made up of only one element is a _____ element.
19. a substance made of two or more elements that have been chemically joined
20. Minerals like topaz can form in these small, teardrop shaped formations.
21. Specific _____ is the ratio of an object’s density to that of water.
22. mineral valued for beauty and rarity
23. the solidified form of a magma body
24. Scientists use this to determine a mineral’s resistance to being scratched
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
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Vocabulary Activity continued
1. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
2. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
3. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
4. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
5. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
6. ___ ___ ___ ___
7. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
8. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
9. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
10. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
11. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
12. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
13. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
14. ___ ___ ___
15. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
16. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
17. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
___ ___
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
18. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
19. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
20. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
21. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
22. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
23. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
24. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
25. What is the phrase?
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Minerals of the Earth’s Crust