Mineral Identification

Identifying Minerals

How can we use different mineral properties to identify them?

Geologists have identified and named more than 5,000 minerals!!! Though only about 20 make up the majority of minerals on Earth.


Because there are so many, it can be hard to tell them apart. We can use mineral properties to determine an unknown mineral!

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Mineral Properties

Multiple Choice

Geologists have identified and named how many minerals?

• Under 10

• About 1000

• Over 5000

• Over 9000!!!!!

​Which mineral is which?!

Mineral Properties

Minerals are Identified using 8 different Properties

• Color

• Streak

• Luster

• Cleavage or Fracture

• Hardness

• Density

• Crystal Structure

• Special

The actual color of the mineral. Very unreliable since many minerals can have the same color.

Color

The color of the powder the mineral leaves behind. MIGHT BE different than mineral color!

Streak

Description of how light reflects from a mineral's surface.

Metallic, non-metallic, earthy, waxy

​​Luster

​Term for how a mineral breaks.

Cleavage is when a mineral breaks cleanly and evenly. Fracture is when a mineral breaks unevenly.

​​Cleavage or fracture

Match

Match the property to the correct description

• The actual color of the mineral. Very unreliable since many minerals can have the same color.

• The color of the powder the mineral leaves behind. MIGHT BE different than mineral color!

• Description of how light reflects from a mineral's surface.

• When a mineral breaks with a clean and even edge.

• When a mineral breaks unevenly

Color

Streak

Luster

Cleavage

Fracture

• Color

• Streak

• Luster

• Cleavage

• Fracture

Special Properties

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Have a nice day. Happy teaching!

Density

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Have a nice day. Happy teaching!

Crystal Structure

Using Mohs Hardness Scale, scientists rank the hardness of minerals from 1 being the softest to 10 being the hardest.
A mineral can scratch anything with a lower number, and will be scratched by anything with a higher number.

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Mohs Hardness Scale

Multiple Choice

Which mineral below is the hardest?

• Talc

• Calcite

• Feldspar

• Topaz

Reorder

Put the following in order from softest mineral to hardest mineral.

• Talc

• Fluorite

• Apatite

• Quartz

• Diamond

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Hotspot

Click on the only mineral that can successfully scratch Quartz.

Multiple Select

What mineral(s) can be scratched by a fingernail?

• Talc

• Gypsum

• Calcite

• Flourite

Multiple Choice

Which mineral can be scratched by feldspar but not scratched by fluorite?

• Quartz

• Calcite

• Feldspar

• Apatite

Color: White or Clear
Streak: White
Luster: Non-metallic
Breakage: Cleavage
Hardness: 2.5
Special: Salty Taste

Halite

Color: Clear to White
Streak: White
Luster: Non-metallic
Breakage: Cleavage
Hardness: 3
Special: Fizzes with HCl (hydrochloric acid)

Calcite

Color: Clear, White, purple, pink, green, yellow
Streak: White
Luster: Non-metallic
Breakage: Cleavage
Hardness: 7
Special: None

Quartz