Rocks and Minerals - Science Olympiad #1

A mineral must be inorganic, which means that it contains

• compounds.
• materials made by humans.
• parts of living things.
• no materials that were once part of living things.

The color of a mineral’s powder is called its

• streak.
• luster. 
• density.
• hardness.

Magma that cools very slowly deep beneath the surface forms minerals with what type of crystals?

• small
• large
• very hard
• cubic

Coal is NOT classified as a mineral because

• it is useful as a fuel.
• it comes from the remains of plants and animals
• it is not valuable.
• it is part of Earth’s crust.

The repeating pattern of a mineral’s particles forms a solid called a(n)

• crystal
• element
• compound
• rock

Hardest known mineral

• talc
• quartz
• diamond
• gold

Most minerals do NOT split apart evenly. Instead, they have a characteristic type of

• cleavage.
• fracture. 
• crystal. 
•  luster

The term used to describe how a mineral reflects light from its surface is

• fluorescence.
• streak.
• density. 
• luster.

The softest mineral on the Mohs hardness scale is

• quartz.
• talc. 
• apatite. 
• gypsum.

Rock that forms from the cooling of magma below the surface or lava at the surface is called

• sedimentary rock.
• metamorphic rock.
• igneous rock. 
• coarse-grained rock.