Minerals

Front

What is the term for the color left behind when a mineral is rubbed across a white tile?

Back

streak

Front

What property describes how different minerals reflect light?

Back

luster

Front

What is a nonliving solid that has a crystal form called?

Back

mineral

Front

What type of luster do gold, silver, copper, and pyrite exhibit?

Back

metallic luster

Front

What is the term for a mineral that breaks along straight, smooth lines?

Back

cleavage

Front

What is the definition of a mineral?

Back

A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure.

Front

What is the difference between cleavage and fracture in minerals?

Back

Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break along flat, smooth surfaces, while fracture is the way a mineral breaks in an irregular manner.

Front

What is the significance of a mineral's hardness?

Back

Hardness measures a mineral's resistance to scratching and is determined by the Mohs scale.

Front

What is the Mohs scale?

Back

The Mohs scale is a scale from 1 to 10 used to rank the hardness of minerals, with talc being the softest (1) and diamond being the hardest (10).

Front

What is the term for the way a mineral shines in light?

Back

luster