Properties
Minerals are classified according to this.
What is their composition?
The measure of how much matter is in a given amount of space.
What is density?
Naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a crystalline structure.
What is a mineral?
These have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
What are isotopes?
Some materials split, or cleave, easily along flat surfaces, or planes
What is cleavage?
Not especially useful in identifying minerals, as some minerals like quartz can come in a variety of them.
What is color?
This is the hardest mineral on the Mohs scale?
What is a diamond?
These two minerals glow under ultraviolet light.
What are calcite and fluorite?
A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched
What is hardness?
The way a mineral surface reflects light.
What is luster?
This is what measures the hardness of minerals.
What is the Mohs Scale?
This mineral is magnetic.
What is magnetite?
This mineral has a salty taste.
What is halite?
The color of the powdered form of a mineral.
What is streak?
Crystallization from cooling magma describes one way minerals do this.
What is how minerals form?
This mineral is sometimes mistaken for gold.
What is pyrite?
When a mineral breaks into a random or irregular pattern.
What is fracture?
This is the softest mineral on the Mohs scale and has a greasy feel.
What is talc?
This process causes dissolved substances to be left behind to form minerals after water in lakes or ponds evaporate.
What is precipitation?
These are likely to form when an atom's outer energy level doesn't have the maximum number of electrons.
What are chemical bonds?