DAY 14 | Identifying Rocks and Minerals

What is a mineral?

• A naturally occurring solid with atoms organized in a pattern.

• A type of rock that is made of many different materials.

• A liquid substance found deep within the Earth.

• A man-made material used in construction.

What are some physical characteristics used to identify minerals?

• Size, weight, temperature, and smell.

• Color, luster, crystal form, and hardness.

• Taste, sound, texture, and flexibility.

• Age, location, density, and magnetism.

What is luster in relation to minerals?

• The color of the mineral.

• The hardness of the mineral.

• The sheen or appearance of a mineral's surface.

• The way a mineral breaks apart.

How does the crystal form help identify minerals?

• It shows how old the mineral is.

• It tells us where the mineral was found.

• It describes the unique shape of the crystals a mineral forms.

• It indicates how much the mineral weighs.

What is a mineral's streak, and how is it tested?

• It's the mineral's color when wet, tested by dipping it in water.

• It's the mineral's color when heated, tested by putting it in a flame.

• It's the color a mineral has when ground into a powder, tested by rubbing it against a streak plate.

• It's the mineral's shine, tested by holding it up to the light.

What is the best way to tell the difference between hematite and magnetite?

• By their color

• By their luster

• By checking their streak

• By their crystal form

What happens when a mineral shows "fracture"?

• It breaks into smooth, flat sheets.

• It breaks in random places when a force is applied.

• It changes color when exposed to light.

• It becomes magnetic.

What is "cleavage" in minerals?

• When a mineral breaks into small, random pieces.

• When a mineral changes its shape due to heat.

• When a mineral breaks along flat planes because of its crystal structure.

• When a mineral can be easily scratched by a fingernail.

What does a mineral's "hardness" tell us?

• How shiny it is.

• How resistant it is to being scratched.

• How easily it breaks into cubes.

• How heavy it is.

How do Earth scientists identify different minerals?

• They only look at the mineral's color.

• They only check if the mineral is magnetic.

• They use a unique combination of all the mineral's physical characteristics.

• They guess based on where the mineral was found.