Mineral Characteristics

A mineral breaks into pieces like are shown in the picture. How would you describe its breakage?

• Fracture

• Cleavage

• Glassy

• Waxy

Which minerals would all scratch apatite?

• diamond, topaz, quartz

• quartz, calcite, gypsum

• fluorite, talc, calcite

• diamond, fluorite, corundum

A scientist made an object in a lab that has a crystal structure and was solid. Why is the object not considered a mineral?

• It is a solid

• It is man-made

• It is inorganic

• It has a crystalline structure

A student found a substance that he thought was a mineral. The substance fell out of the container and the liquid spilled all over the floor. Why is the substance not a mineral?

• It is man-made

• It is a liquid

• It is organic

• It is solid

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

Match the term with the definition

• Hardness

• The tendency to break unevenly into piece that are curved or irregular

• Cleavage

• Measure of an ability of a mineral to resist scratching

• Fracture

• The tendency of a mineral to split smoothly.

Glassy, shiny, opaque, dull. These are words that can be used to describe a mineral's ​ (a)  

• luster.

• hardness.

• streak.

Click on each vocabulary word, then click in the correct box on the graphic organizer.

a

b

c

d

luster

streak

hardness

cleavage

Geologists in search of diamonds are often tricked by quartz because they have similar color, luster, and texture. If they were to scratch the mineral on a tile and see the color of its powder, they they could determine if it was really diamonds. What property were they testing for?

• Hardness

• Fracture

• Crystal Structure

• Streak

Which indicator would not be good as the only indicator when identifying a mineral? 

• Color

• Breaking Pattern

• Specific Gravity

• Hardness