Minerals

Which item is NOT a mineral?

• A perfect salt crystal

• A shell

• A diamond made in a laboratory

Answer explanation

Minerals are naturally occurring, so diamonds are only minerals if they are found in nature, not made in a lab.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-3

A crystal forms when atoms join...

• randomly

• in a repeating pattern

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

Which mineral has a metallic luster?

• diamond

• quartz

• gold

Which property of quartz makes it useful as an ingredient of sandpaper?

• luster

• color

• streak

• hardness

How are most diamonds used?

• as abrasives and gemstones

• as fertilizer

• in ceramics and steel production

A mineral that breaks along even surfaces has the property of....

• cleavage

• fracture

• density

The color of a mineral in its powdered form is called...

• luster

• density

• streak

An object's mass divided by its volume is its...

• fracture

• density

• streak

A mineral that breaks along uneven surfaces has ​ (a)  

​ (b)   is the color of a mineral in its powdered form.

​ (c)   describes how light is reflected or absorbed by a mineral.

The ​ (d)   of a mineral is equal to its mass divided by its volume.

A mineral that breaks along uneven surfaces has ​ (e)  

• cleavage
• Streak
• Luster
• density
• fracture

Which mineral on the scale is the softest?