Minerals

Front

Mineral Noun

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[min-er-uhl]

Back

Mineral

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A naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition.

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Example: This image shows mineral crystals, highlighting their natural, inorganic, and solid nature.

Front

Crystal Noun

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[kris-tl]

Back

Crystal

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A solid in which the atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern, forming a specific geometric shape.

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Example: The image shows a crystal structure with Na+ and Cl- ions arranged in a repeating pattern, illustrating how atoms form a specific geometric shape.

Front

Inorganic Process Noun

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[in-or-gan-ik pros-es]

Back

Inorganic Process

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A process that can form minerals from materials that were not a part of living things.

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Example: Layers of earth and rock show how minerals form through inorganic processes.

Front

Streak Noun

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[streek]

Back

Streak

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The color of a mineral's powder, which is a more reliable identifier than the mineral's surface color.

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Example: The image shows how different minerals leave distinct powder colors on a streak plate, helping identify them.

Front

Luster Noun

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[luhs-ter]

Back

Luster

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The way that light reflects from a mineral's surface, described with terms like metallic or glassy.

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Example: The image shows a mineral with a shiny surface, illustrating 'luster' as it reflects light like glass.

Front

Hardness Noun

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[hard-nes]

Back

Hardness

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A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched, indicating its resistance to abrasion.

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Example: The Mohs Hardness Scale shows minerals ranked by how easily they can be scratched, using common objects for comparison.

Front

Mohs Hardness Scale Noun

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[mohz hard-nes skeyl]

Back

Mohs Hardness Scale

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A scale from 1 to 10 that ranks the relative hardness of minerals by their ability to scratch others.

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Example: The image shows the Mohs Hardness Scale, ranking minerals by hardness with examples like a diamond and a fingernail.

Front

Density Noun

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[den-si-tee]

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Density

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The mass of a substance in a given volume, calculated by dividing the mass by the volume.

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Example: Objects with different densities float or sink in water, showing how density is mass divided by volume.

Front

Cleavage Noun

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[klee-vij]

Back

Cleavage

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The property of a mineral that causes it to split easily along flat, smooth surfaces.

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Example: This mineral shows cleavage by splitting along flat surfaces.

Front

Fracture Noun

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[frak-cher]

Back

Fracture

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The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular, uneven, or curved way.

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Example: The image shows a quartz mineral with a conchoidal fracture, illustrating how it breaks with a smooth, curved surface.