Minerals Part 2
Minerals are identified by their key characteristics, which are…
1. .
5. .
2. .
6. .
3. .
7. .
4. .
8. .
COLOR
1. Color: is the most ____________ _______________, but least _____________ property of a mineral
Example: Different colors of quartz are _____________, _________________, ____________, ____________
LUSTER
1. Luster: is the way in which a mineral _____________ in the light or how life reflects off the surface.
Ex: Metallic, Non-metallic, Earthy, Pearly, Glassy
STREAK
1. Streak: is the _____________ of the ____________ left on a streak plate.
2. Streak is more reliable than _________ because the color of a mineral can vary and the streak does not.
CLEAVAGE/FRACTURE
1. Some minerals split along flat surfaces when broken – this is called mineral _______________________.
2. Other minerals break unevenly along rough or curved surfaces – this is called ___________________.
3. One type of cleavage is ___________________
_________________ , like mica.
What other minerals have cleavage? _______________________, ______________________
HARDNESS
1. Hardness: the resistance of a mineral to ________________ ___________________.
2. The _____________________________________ is one of the most effective tools for identifying minerals.
Mohns Hardness Scale: Copy it down here.
Hardness
Mineral
Common Object
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS…
There are special characteristic that you can also use to test/identify a mineral. Four of them are…
1.
2.
3.
4.
PRACTICE TEST(Book Chapter 11, Lessons 1-3)
1.Minerals are comprised of one or more ____.
a. colors
c. rocks
b. elements
d. structures
2.One of the softest minerals is ____.
a. topaz
b. quartz
c. talc
d. amethyst
3.All minerals share the following characteristics EXCEPT that of ____.
a. being formed by natural processes
c. being solids
b. being formed from living organisms d. atoms in mineral arranged in a pattern
4.The hardness of quartz is 7. This indicates that quartz will scratch all of the following minerals
EXCEPT __.
a. talc
c. topaz
b. apatite
d. calcite
5.Muscovite mica will peel off in flat sheets. This is an example of the characteristic called ____.
a. hardness
c. fracture
b. streak
d. Sheety cleavage
6.Calcite will scratch gypsum. This is an example of the physical characteristics called ____.
a. hardness
c. fracture
b. streak
d. cleavage
7.What element is common to all four of these minerals?
Common Rock Forming Minerals
Chemical Formula
Quartz
SiO2
Pyroxene*
MgSiO3
Olivine
(Mg,Fe)2SiO4
Calcite
CaCO3
a. Silicon (Si)
b. Oxygen (O2, O3, and O4)
c. Magnesium (Mg)
d. Carbon (C)
8. Silver, gold, and copper are metals that have shiny surfaces and thus are said to have ____.
a. dull luster
c. waxy luster
b. metallic luster
d. nonmetallic luster
9. Which of the following best represents a native element mineral?
a. silver (Ag)
c. hematite (Fe2O3)
b. potassium feldspar (KA2Si3O8)
d. quartz (SiO2)
10. Mica has a hardness of 3. Quartz has a hardness of 7. Therefore,
a. mica has more than twice the luster as quartz.
b. mica can scratch quartz.
c. both mica and quartz can scratch a diamond.
d. quartz can scratch mica.
11. Which mineral is the most common ingredient in nails and screws?
a. gold
c. iron
b. copper
d. cobalt
12. Which mineral is mined so that aluminum can be produced?
a. halite
c. hematite
b. cobalt
d. bauxite
1. B; A mineral follows SNIFC
2. C; A hardness value of 1 is assigned to the
softest mineral on the scale, talc.
3. B; A mineral is a naturally occurring,
inorganic solid with a definite chemical
composition and an orderly arrangement of
atoms or ions.
4. C
5. D; If a mineral breaks with smooth, flat
surfaces, it has cleavage.
6. A; Hardness is the resistance of a mineral to
being scratched.
7. B; Minerals have a definite chemical
composition.
8. B
9. A
10. D; Hardness is the resistance of a mineral
to being scratched.
11. C; Iron is a common ingredient in the nails,
screws, and fixtures in your home.
12. D;Bauxite is mined and aluminum is
extracted to manufacture aluminum-based
products.