Mineral Properties
minerals must be this, as they cannot be made by people or machines
What is naturally occurring?
Gold is gold! This physical property of a mineral is easy to observe with your eye
What is color?
This is the hardest known mineral
What is diamond?
Some minerals form from this process, which is when water turns into a gas
What is evaporation?
Mr. Canale had to buy a diamond engagement ring. Due to its glassy luster, a diamond is a type of this:
What is a gemstone?
Minerals are always this, with a definite volume and shape
What is solid?
This is the color of a minerals powder. We found it by dragging a mineral down a tile.
What is streak?
This is the softest known mineral. Its softer than your fingernails!
What is talc?
Slow cooling leads to ______ crystals
What is large?
By combing the minerals bauxite and aluminum, we get aluminum foil, a type of this
What is a metal?
Coal is not a mineral, because it was once a living thing. Minerals must be:
What is inorganic?
This is a measure of how much light is reflected off a minerals surface
What is luster?
Many minerals have unique features like sulfur, which stinks.
What are special properties?
This is a mixture in which one substance is dissolved into another
What is a solution?
Steel is this, a solid mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal
What is an alloy?
Minerals all have this:
Meaning that they always contain certain elements in definite proportions
What is a definite chemical composition?
This equals mass/volume
What is density?
Minerals can break apart these two ways:
What is cleavage and fracture?
This is the process by which atoms are arranged by structure
What is crystallization?
In this process ore is melted to separated useful metals from one another
What is smelting?
All minerals have this: a repeating pattern of a minerals particles
What is a crystal structure?
On this scale talc is a 1 and a diamond is a 10
What is hardness?
Magnetite has this property that causes it to attract to metal
What is magnetism?
This is the rounded rock lined with crystals Mr. Canale is holding up
What is a geode?
This mineral is often added to table salt, as it helps fight thyroid disease
What is iodine?