Definition of Mineral
Minerals must be in this common phase state.
Solid
This is typically the most obvious property of minerals but tends to be the least useful when attempting to identify unknown minerals
Color
The atoms in a particular sample are arranged in repeating cubes, giving a cubic shape to the crystals as well. What property is described here?
Crystal shape
The two types of liquid from which solid minerals may form
Magma and water with things dissolved in it
Commonly believed to be the hardest mineral, a 10 on the Mohs scale
Diamond
This part of the mineral definition means that it was never living or made by something living
"Inorganic"
This property deals with a minerals resistance to being scratched.
Hardness
Quartz, which is typically white or translucent, may also be found in purple, pink, gray, or many other colored varieties. What most likely causes this variation in colors?
Trace elements/impurities in the crystal
Any mineral formed from the evaporation of water out of a solution
Evaporite
This category of mineral is by far most abundant in Earth's crust
Silicates
Describe what it means for a solid to be crystalline
The atoms in the solid must be arranged in a regular pattern
This test refers to the colored powder left behind after a mineral is scratched on an unglazed porcelein tile
Streak
Sapphire has a hardness of 9 on the Moh's hardness scale while opal has a hardness of 5. Can opal scratch sapphire?
No (but sapphire can scratch opal)
The substance which is dissolved in a solvent to make a solution
Solute
This category of mineral often bubble when acid is dropped on them
Carbonates
Minerals have this, meaning that a sample of halite found in Brazil would be chemically the same as a halite sample from China.
A specific chemical composition
This refers to the way a mineral reflects light.
Luster
When a particular mineral is struck, it always fractures cleanly along the vertical axis. What can you say about the atomic bonds in this crystal?
The bonds along the vertical axis are weaker than the other bonds.
Describe the relationship between the composition of magma and the minerals that can form from it
The minerals that can form from a given sample of magma are those which use the same atoms the magma already contains
This mineral is also known as "fool's gold"
Pyrite
State the complete definition of a mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid, with a specific chemical composition and a definite crystalline structure
A mineral that breaks in a certain way may show one of these two properties
Cleavage and fracture
Mineral A can scratch mineral B and mineral C.
Mineral B cannot scratch mineral A or C.
Mineral C can scratch mineral B, but not mineral A.
Rank the minerals from hardest to softest.
Mineral A is hardest.
Mineral C is next hardest
Mineral B is softest
Describe how a crystal formed at Earth's surface is likely to be different from a crystal formed from the same substances deep beneath Earth's crust
The crystal formed at Earth's surface will likely be much smaller because of the lower temperature and faster cooling
Rubies and sapphires are both varieties of this mineral
Corundum