Virginia Earth Science Minerals

There are four basic characteristics of Minerals.

All minerals are:

formed by ​ (a)   processes

​ (b)   solids

elements or compounds with a chemical composition ​ (c)  

crystal structures, that is atoms in minerals are arranged in a pattern that ​is (d)  

• natural
• inorganic
• unique to the mineral
• repeated over and over again

Match the following

• unique to that mineral

• Solids

• Inorganic

• Crystal structures

• Natural

• Processes

• pattern that is repeated over and over

• elements and compounds

Minerals are formed out of ​ (a)   earth material or ​ (b)   , or when water containing dissolved ​ (c)   evaporates.

• molten
• magma
• ions

Halite ( ​ (a)   ) from evaporating sea water

Minerals can be changed into different minerals by ​ (b)   , pressure or the chemical action of ​ (c)   .

• salt
• heat
• water

Match the following

• Magma

• Molten (melted) earth material

• crystal

• Salt

• Halite

• has an electric charge by losing or gaining an electron

• ion

• Atoms arranged in the Same pattern over and over

Minerals are classified according to ​ (a)   .

Silicates are formed mostly from ​ (b)   .

Carbonates are formed from ​ (c)   of marine organisms.

• composition
• silicon and oxygen
• shells and skeletons

Match the following

• magma

• 
• crystal

• 
• carbonate

• 
• Halite

• 

Mineral identification

The ​ (a)   is the most obvious but one of the ​ (b)   methods of identifying minerals.

Hardness is a measure of how easily a mineral can be ​ (c)   .

The ​ (d)   lists hardness of ten minerals with 1 being the softest, 10 being the ​ (e)   .

• color
• least reliable
• scratched
• Mohs hardness scale
• hardest

On Moh's hardness scale, which is the hardest mineral

• Diamond

• Talc

• Feldspar

• Corundum

Luster describes how ​ (a)   from a minerals surface.

​ (b)   gives you an indication of how metallic looking a mineral is.

The two ways that geologist categorize a minerals luster is ​ (c)   .

• light is reflected
• Luster
• metallic or non-metallic