Rocks & Minerals

Which of these would be the best question to determine whether a specimen is a rock or mineral?

• What color is it?

• How heavy is it?

• Is it made of only one material?

• How old is this specimen?

Which of these is NOT an attribute of minerals?

• Color

• Luster

• Shape

• Hardness

Which of these would be the best question to ask to determine the hardness of a mineral?

• Can this mineral be scratched by Quartz?

• If I drop the mineral, will it break?

• If I hit the mineral with a hammer, will it be damaged?

• Will this mineral scratch my finger?

Joey sees this specimen on the playground and wonders if it is a rock or mineral. What is the most important thing for Joey to notice about this specimen to determine this?

• The specimen has multiple colors

• The specimen is rough/bumpy

• The specimen is oddly shaped

• The specimen feels heavy

Helena noticed that the specimen she found on her nature hike seemed to be only one color all throughout. What question could she ask about what she found based on what she noticed?

• Is this specimen made of only one material?

• Is this specimen very old?

• Does this specimen feel heavy?

• Why is the specimen white?

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

According to the scale in the photo, which mineral will scratch Calcite but not Apatite?

• Fluorite

• Talc

• Diamond

• Topaz

Shang has a mystery mineral. He was able to scratch the mineral with a knife, but not a copper coin. Which two minerals could he possibly have?

• Gypsum and Fluorite

• Fluorite and Apatite

• Topaz and Quartz

• Apatite and Feldspar

Which mineral is metallic, has a black streak, and a reddish brown color?

• Mica

• Feldspar

• Pyrite

• Calcite

Which mineral has a hardness of 6, is glassy/pearly and pink?

• Feldspar

• Hornblende

• Mica

• Pyrite

Why is color not a good attribute for classifying a rock or mineral?

• Many rocks and minerals can have the same color

• Colors are hard to see without a magnifying glass

• The color does not matter at all

• Minerals and rocks do not have a specific color