Mineral Identification

Front

What is fracture in mineral identification?

Back

Fracture refers to the breakage of a mineral along rough or jagged edges.

Front

What is the definition of luster in minerals?

Back

Luster is the way a mineral reflects light, which can be metallic or nonmetallic.

Front

What does it mean if a mineral has a colorless streak?

Back

A colorless streak means that when the mineral is scratched on a streak plate, it leaves a colorless mark.

Front

What is the hardness of a mineral?

Back

Hardness is a measure of how resistant a mineral is to being scratched.

Front

What mineral is colorless with a colorless streak and cannot be scratched by a fingernail?

Back

Halite.

Front

What is cleavage in mineral identification?

Back

Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break along flat, smooth surfaces.

Front

What is the Mohs scale?

Back

The Mohs scale is a scale from 1 to 10 used to measure the hardness of minerals.

Front

What does it mean if a mineral can scratch apatite?

Back

It means that the mineral is harder than apatite on the Mohs scale.

Front

What is the definition of a mineral?

Back

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

Front

What is the significance of a mineral's streak?

Back

A mineral's streak can help identify it, as it is often more consistent than the mineral's color.