Mineral Identification Lab Review

What property is described here: Breakage of a mineral, not along planes of weakness in the crystral structure.

• Cleavage

• Crystal Form

• Fracture

• Hardness

What property is described below: Chemical interaction of hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃).

• Cleavage

• Magnetism

• Streak

• Effervescense (reaction to HCl)

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

What mineral property is described here: Resistance to scratching or abrasion.

• Color

• Hardness

• Luster

• Specific Gravity

What mineral property is described here: Character of the light reflected by a mineral (how shiny a mineral is).

• Luster

• Taste

• Streak

• Fracture

What mineral property is described here: Visible light spectrum radiation reflected from a mineral (cannot be trusted!)

• Hardness

• Magnetism

• Streak

• Color

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

What mineral property is described here: Color of the mineral when it is powdered.

• Effervescense

• Streak

• Diaphaneity

• Taste

What mineral property is described here: Breakage of a mineral along planes of weakness in the crystal structure.

• Color

• Diaphaneity

• Cleavage

• Hardness

What mineral property is described here: Ratio of the mass of a mineral to the mass of an equal volume of water.

• Cleavage

• Color

• Luster

• Specific Gravity

What mineral property is described here: Electromagnetic force generated by an object or electrical field (can stick to your fridge).

• Magnetism

• Fracture

• Luster

• Fluorescence

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-3

Testing Method: Examine the mineral for areas where the mineral is broken. Look for areas where the light reflects from planar surfaces. This can be easily confused with a crystal face and is the most difficult properties for students to master.

• Fracture

• Crystal Form

• Cleavage

• Hardness