Mineral Test

What is the difference between cleavage and fracture?

• Cleavage and fracture break in pieces.

• Cleavage and fracture break off in the smooth surfaces.

• Cleavage breaks off in smooth pieces and fracture breaks off in rough/jagged pieces.

• Fracture breaks off in smooth pieces and cleavage breaks off in rough/jagged pieces.

Why is color alone not a reliable means of identifying a mineral?

• Color is the best way to identify a mineral?

• Color can vary greatly in a mineral.

• All minerals are the same color.

• You can't see the color in the mineral.

What do we use to determine hardness of a mineral?

• Finding the Volume

• Moh's hardness scale

• Balance

• Specific gravity test.

What is the hardest mineral in the world?

• Graphite

• Halite

• Diamond

• Calcite

What are the 5 properties that make a mineral a mineral?

• - Color

  - Hardness

  - Luster

  - Weight

  - Streak

• - inorganic

  - naturally occurring

  - specific arrangement of atoms

  - solid

  - definite chemical composition

• - organic

  - naturally occurring

  - random arrangement of atoms

  - liquid

  - definite chemical composition

• - inorganic

  - naturally occurring

  - random arrangement of atoms

  - solid

  - no chemical composition

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

What is hardness?

• Means it cannot be made by life processes

• How easily a mineral can be scratched

• How the mineral reflects light

• How tough a mineral is

Minerals have different properties to help scientists identify them.  Which is NOT a property used to identify minerals?

• color
• hardness
• size
• luster

The color of a mineral in powder form is called the mineral's 

• hardness
• specific gravity
• luster
• streak

How light reflects off of a mineral is called the mineral's 

• luster
• streak
• cleavage
• fracture

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Dull, silky, waxy, pearly, and earthy are terms that best describe which property of minerals?

• luster
• color
• streak
• cleavage