Activity 16: Mineral Identification

Front

What is a mineral?

Back

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

Front

What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?

Back

A rock is a solid material composed of one or more minerals, while a mineral is a single substance.

Front

What is calcite?

Back

Calcite is a common mineral made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), often found in sedimentary rocks.

Front

What is quartz?

Back

Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silicon dioxide (SiO2), known for its durability and variety of colors.

Front

How can you identify minerals?

Back

Minerals can be identified by their physical properties such as color, hardness, luster, and streak.

Front

What is hardness in mineral identification?

Back

Hardness is a measure of a mineral's resistance to scratching, often assessed using the Mohs scale.

Front

What is the Mohs scale?

Back

The Mohs scale is a scale from 1 to 10 that ranks minerals based on their hardness, with talc at 1 and diamond at 10.

Front

What is luster in minerals?

Back

Luster describes how a mineral reflects light, categorized as metallic, glassy, pearly, or dull.

Front

What is streak in mineral identification?

Back

Streak is the color of a mineral in powdered form, obtained by rubbing it on a porcelain plate.

Front

What is a crystalline structure?

Back

A crystalline structure is the orderly, repeating arrangement of atoms in a mineral, giving it a specific shape.