Rocks and Minerals Vocabulary

A measure of how easily the smooth surface of a mineral can be scratched

• luster

• hardness

• color

• texture

the way a mineral shines, or reflects light. A physical property referring to how an object shines when light reflects from its surface

• luster

• hardness

• color

• texture

what a surface looks and feels like: smooth, bumpy, or rough

• luster

• hardness

• color

• texture

a nonliving solid material that is naturally occurring

• luster

• rock

• mineral

• texture

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

A solid piece of Earth’s surface containing one or more minerals

• luster

• rock

• mineral

• texture

a scale of hardness for minerals that ranges from a value of 1 for talc to 10 for diamond

• Mineral Hardness Scale

• Rock Hardness Scale

• Mohs Hardness Scale

• Hawkins Hardness Scale

The removal and movement of sediment from one place to another by gravity, water, wind, or ice

• smooth

• Erosion

• weathering

• trash

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

The breakdown of rocks into very small particles by gravity, water, wind, and ice

• smooth

• Erosion

• weathering

• trash