2.3 Minerals

What is a mineral's hardness?

• It describes the mineral's resistance to scratching.

• It describes the way the mineral breaks into pieces.

• It describes the way a mineral reflects light.

Select ALL the tools that could be used to test a mineral's hardness:

• your finger

• your fingernail

• a penny

• a nail

This property is NOT very useful in identifying a mineral:

• Color

• Luster

• Hardness

• Streak

This property describes a mineral's resistance to scratching:

• Hardness

• Luster

• Cleavage

• Streak

This property describes the way a mineral reflects light:

• Luster

• Hardness

• Cleavage

• Streak

The property of a mineral that describes the way it breaks into flat surfaces:

• Cleavage

• Hardness

• Luster

• Streak

What is a streak test?

• A test that shows a mineral's true color.

• A test that shows a mineral's hardness.

• A test that shows a mineral's luster.

• A test that shows how a mineral breaks.

This property is measured on a scale of 1 to 10:

• Hardness

• Luster

• Cleavage

• Streak

When measuring on the Mohs scale of 1 to 10, _______ is the softest.

• 1

• 10

"Shiny, dull, metallic, glassy, waxy" all describe a mineral's property of __________.

• Luster

• Color

• Streak

• Hardness