Minerals Station

All minerals on the Mohs Hardness Scale are hard enough to scratch a piece of glass.

• True

• False

To determine a mineral's streak, a student should rub the mineral on

• a mirror.

• a piece of wood.

• an unglazed piece of ceramic tile.

The color of a mineral in powdered form

• luster

• streak

• hardness

On the Mohs Hardness Scale, the lower the number, the _______ the mineral is.

• softer

• harder

• heavier

What is the softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale?

• quartz

• apatite

• talc

What are the two main types of luster?

• metallic and nonmetallic

• glassy and transparent

• shiny and opaque

Because a glass window is harder than a fingernail, a glass window

• would have a higher number on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

• would have a lower number on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

• would have the same number as a fingernail on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

When minerals combine, they form different ________ that make up the Earth's crust.

• rocks

• glaciers

• elements

Which of these minerals would most likely be valued as a gem and used in jewelry?

• olivine, a green or gray mineral with a hardness rating of 6.5

• gypsum, a pink or white mineral with a hardness rating of 2

• galena, a metallic silver mineral with a hardness rating of 2.5

The geometric shape of a mineral that reflects its internal crystalline arrangement of atoms

• luster

• mineral crystal

• Mohs Hardness Scale