Mineral Characteristics
Identifying Minerals
Identifying Minerals II
Types of Minerals
Mixed
100
Are all minerals organic?
No - all minerals are inorganic
100
What do we call the color of a mineral when is is broken up and powdered?
Streak
100
What do we call the way a mineral reflects light?
luster
100
What two elements combined make up silicates?
silicon and oxygen
100
T/F Calcite can be scratched by a fingernail
false
200
Are all minerals solids?
yes
200
On the Mohs scale, what does a 1 mean?
The mineral is very soft
200
Why isn't color a reliable identification test for minerals?
Either: 1. different minerals can have the same color due to contaminants 2. the same mineral can have a different color due to contaminants
200
Which is the most common mineral type?
silicates
200
what do we call the measurement of how easily a mineral can be scratched?
hardness
300
Are all minerals found in nature?
Yes, all minerals are naturally occuring
300
The two main types of luster are:
metallic and nonmetallic
300
What do we call it when a mineral breaks with rough, jagged edges?
fracture
300
What is a mineral that contains a useful substance that can be mined for profit?
ore
300
What is a solid in which atoms are arranged in repeating patterns?
crystal
400
Does a mineral have to have a certain structure to be a mineral?
Yes, all minerals have a specific crystalline structure
400
Give two examples of nonmetallic luster
2 of the following: waxy pearly earthy milky dull
400
Silver, gold, and copper have why type of luster?
metallic
400
T/F minerals made of sheets of tetrahedron structures do not separate easily
false - they pull apart like sheets of paper
400
What do we call a rare mineral that is expensive?
gem
500
Can multiple types of minerals have the same chemical composition?
No, each mineral has a unique chemical composition
500
What do we call the ratio of the weight of a substance to the weight of an equal volume of water?
Specific Gravity
500
What do we call it when a mineral breaks along flat planes?
cleavage
500
Which mineral group contains minerals made of tetrahedron structures?
silicates
500
which of the following is NOT a test used to identify minerals? color luster streak magnetism
magnetism
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