Mineral Properties
Vocabulary
Density
Formation of Minerals
Random Trivia
100
What are the four main properties that can help identify one mineral from another?
Hardness, luster, breakage, streak
100
What does the "luster" of a mineral refer to?
The mineral's ability to reflect light.
100
What is density?
Density is how much matter there is in a given space. (How compact the particles are)
100
What are the two main ways minerals can form?
Crystallization of melted materials and crystallization of materials dissolved in water.
100
How many taste buds does the average human tongue have?
A. 10
B. 1,000
c. 10,000
D. 100,000
C. 10,000
200
Is color a good property to help someone identify a specific mineral? Explain why or why not.
It is NOT a good indicator because one mineral can be many different colors or different minerals can be al similar color.
200
What are three different types of mines?
Shaft mine, strip mine, open-pit pine
200
What is the equation for density?
Density = mass/volume
200
Explain how minerals form from hot magma.
When magma heats underground water, heated water moves through cracks and crevices in rock. The heated water picks up and dissolves minerals. As the water moves, it deposits the minerals in spaces between rocks, forming veins.
200
Globe and Jerusalem are different types of what?
A. Bananas
B. Artichokes
C. Grapes
D. Exotic fruits
B. Artichokes
300
Describe how the HARDNESS of a mineral can help you identify a mineral.
You use a piece of glass and set it down flat. You take your mineral and try to scratch the glass. If it doesn’t scratch the glass, it is less than 5.5 harness on Moh's hardness scale. If it does scratch the glass, it is greater than 5.5 on the scale.
300
What is a vein?
A. a narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock
B. a narrow slab of rock that is sharply different from the surrounding minerals
C. a narrow mineral slab that is found inside volcanic mountains
D. none of the above
A. a narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock
300
Calculate for Density given the following:
Mass = 25 grams
Volume = 5 mL
25 grams/ 5mL = 5 g/mL
300
Explain how minerals form from hot water solutions.
Water on Earth's surface can flow through cracks in the crust into deep and hot environments. Hot-water solutions can contain dissolved solids that eventually form valuable mineral deposits.
300
How many bones do sharks have in total?
A. 100
B. 253
C. 0
D. 26
C. 0
400
What are the two types of luster? Explain/describe both.
Metallic - metal looking
Non-metallic - non metal looking
400
What is the process that is necessary to remove the metal from the ore after miners have removed ore from a mine?
Smelting
400
Calculate for Density given the following:
Mass = 40 grams
Volume = 6 mL
40 grams/6 mL = 6.67 g/mL
400
Explain how minerals can form from evaporation.
Water can only hold a certain amount of dissolved minerals and salts. When the amount is too great to stay dissolved in the water, the particles come together to form mineral solids, which sink.
400
What is a Geiger counter used to measure?
A. Radiation
B. Atoms
C. Mercury levels in the body
D. Mineral Composition
A. Radiation
500
What are the two different types of breakage? Explain/describe both.
Cleavage - mineral breaks into relatively perfect sheets and/or structure
Fracture - breakage of mineral is very random
500
What are the four main characteristics that all minerals have? Describe each.
Solid - all minerals are in a solid state of matter
Naturally occurring - minerals cannot be manmade
Inorganic - minerals do NOT come from a previous living thing
Fixed chemical structure - specific minerals will always have the same chemical formula (same chemical composition)
500
When we calculated for density of rocks & minerals, we used to tools to help us measure. What were those tools, how did they work, and what did they measure?
Mass - triple beam balance, rather than adding additional weights, each of the three weights can be slid along the beam to increase their lever arm and balance out the scale to find the mass of the object
Volume - water displacement, when an object is submerged in water, object pushes out a volume of water that is equal to its own volume
500
Minerals are evenly dispersed throughout the world.
Is this true or false? Explain your thinking.
False - many valuable minerals are found in or near areas of volcanic activity and mountain building.
500
How many bones are in the adult human body?
206 (300 when born)