What makes a mineral
Properties of minerals
Name that Characteristic
Mineral Vocabulary
Extra
100

What are the 5 characteristics of minerals?

Solid, Inorganic, naturally occuring

fixed composition 

crystal structure

100

What property are you observing when you perform the scratch test?

Hardness

100

Which of the 5 characteristics is described by "not a liquid or a gas"?

Solid

100

What is a pure substance that is only made from one type of atom?

Element

100

Give an example of a gemstone.

Diamond, rubies, topaz, emerald

200

Minerals from when?

Rivers erode a mountain or magma cools

Magma Cools

200

When you observe the color left behind when you rub a mineral on a piece of tile you are testing for what property?

Streak

200

Which of the 5 characteristics is described by "Not made by humans"?

Naturally occuring

200

What do you call a substance that is made of two or more atoms combined?

Compound

200

Give an example of something in this room that is inorganic.

Chair, the fan, the projector, etc

300

What are both ways a mineral can form?

1. When magma or lava cools

2. Water evaporates and leaves behind minerals

300

If you are observing how a mineral reflects light, what property are you observing? 

Luster

300

Which of the 5 characteristics is described by "Made from materials that are not, and never were alive"?

Inorganic

300

How do we test for the property of hardness?

Scratch test

300

Which has a greater density, water or ice? How do you know?

Water because ice floats in water. 

400

Coal is formed underground when dead plants are pressed between layers of rock. This happens over long periods of time.  Is coal a mineral?  Why or why not? 

Not a mineral, because it was once living. Coal is not inorganic

400

If you break a piece of quartz to see if it splits smoothly or jaggedly, what property are you testing?

Cleavage and fracture

400

Which of the 5 characteristics is described by "Always made from the same chemicals"?

Fixed composition

400

What is ore?

A rock that contains a useful mineral

400

What are the 3 types of rocks?

Igneous, Metamorphic, Sedimentary 

500

Is water ever a mineral? Why or why not.

Yes, when water is in frozen form (ice) it is a mineral.

500
If the mass of a substance is 15 grams and the volume is 3 milliliters, what is the density?

5 g/mL

500

Which of the 5 characteristics is described by "The atoms/elements that make up the substance line up in a repeating pattern"?

Crystal structure 

500

How are rocks and minerals different?

Minerals are inorganic and rocks are not.

Minerals have a crystal structure and rocks do not.

Minerals have a fixed composition and rocks do not.

500

How does an igneous rock become metamorphic?

Heat and pressure is added

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