Minerals Properties Vocab

What is the definition of "Hardness" in relation to minerals?

• A mineral's resistance to being scratched.

• The color of a mineral's powder when rubbed on a rough surface.

• The way a mineral breaks unevenly, not along smooth surfaces.

• How much mass is packed into a certain amount of space.

Which term describes the way a mineral breaks along smooth, flat surfaces?

• Fracture

• Cleavage

• Luster

• Streak

What does "Density" refer to in the context of minerals?

• The ability of a mineral to be pulled toward a magnet.

• How much mass is packed into a certain amount of space.

• The way a mineral's surface reflects light.

• When a mineral glows under ultraviolet (UV) light.

Which definition best matches the term "Streak"?

• The color of a mineral's powder when rubbed on a rough surface.

• The way a mineral breaks unevenly, not along smooth surfaces.

• A solid material with a repeating pattern of atoms.

• A mineral's resistance to being scratched.

What is "Fluorescence" in minerals?

• The way a mineral breaks along smooth, flat surfaces.

• When a mineral glows under ultraviolet (UV) light.

• The ability of a mineral to be pulled toward a magnet.

• How shiny a mineral looks.

A unique quality or characteristic that can be observed or measured and helps to describe or identify something.

• property

• characteristic

• quantifiable

• streak

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

Able to be measured or expressed as a specific number or amount.

• quantifiable

• denisty

• magnetism

• crystal

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

What is "magnetism" in minerals?

• The ability of a mineral to be pulled toward a magnet or act like a magnet.

• A mineral's resistance to being scratched.

• A solid material with a repeating pattern of atoms, often forming shapes.

• What a mineral is made of—the specific elements or chemicals inside it.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-3

Which term describes the way a mineral breaks unevenly, not along smooth surfaces.

• fracture

• cleavage

• hardness

• streak

Which term describes the way a mineral's surface reflects light; how shiny it looks.

• luster

• streak

• crystal

• fluorescence