Mineral Properties

Properties of Minerals

Vocabulary Choice Board

Mineral

Naturally occurring solid that can form by inorganic processes and that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition

Example: Cobalt and Iron

Inorganic

Minerals must be able to form from materials that were not part of living things

Examples: Table salt and Carbon Dioxide

Crystal

repeating pattern of minerals particles.

Examples: Quartz and Pyrite

Streak

Color of the minerals powder

Example: Here is the streak of gold!

Luster

How light is reflected of a minerals surface

Example: Here is the Luster of a diamond

(This type of luster is Adamantine Luster)

Mohs Hardness Scale

Used to rank the hardness of minerals

Here are some rocks on the Moh's scale

Cleavage

A mineral that splits easy on a flat surface

Here is an example of cleavage

Fracture

describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart

Here is an example of a fracture in a peridot gemstone

Geode

a rounded hollow rock that is often lined with mineral crystals

Here is a geode amethyst crystal

Crystallization

process by which atoms are arranged to form a material that has a crystal structure.

Here is an example/form of crystallization

Solution

a mixture in which one substance is mixed into another

Here is an example of a solution - containing water and sugar.

Vein

narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is different for the surrounding rock

Here is an example of a vein