Rocks & Minerals

A mineral is inorganic, which means that it contains

• compounds

• materials made by humans

• parts of living things

• no materials that were 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

What is the hardest known mineral

• talc

• diamond

• quartz

• gold

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

• cleavage

• fracture

• luster

• hardness

Halite is a mineral formed by

• crystallization/evaporation of hot water solutions

• cooling of magma

• evaporation

• cooling of lava

Although brick, steel, and glass all come from substances found in Earth’s crust, they are NOT classified as minerals because

• they are organic

• they are not naturally occuring

• they are too hard

• they have too many uses

Igneous rock that cools very quickly when it forms may have a texture that is

• smooth and shiny with no visible grains

• multicolored and banded

• coarse grained

• made up of jagged grains

The process by which sediment settles out of the water or wind carrying it is

• compaction

• cemetation

• deposition

• erosion

A sedimentary rock made up of rock fragments with rounded edges is called

• shale

• sandstone

• conglomerate

• scoria