Vocabulary Words
A primary categorization of mineral containing silicon and oxygen.
What is a silicate?
This method of identifying minerals relies on a series of tests attempting to scratch the surface with different objects.
What is Mohs Hardness Scale?
These are the two types of minerals.
What are silicates and non-silicates?
When a mineral breaks unevenly into pieces that have curved or irregular surfaces it is known to have this property.
This mineral consists of silicon and oxygen exclusively and does not contain any other silicates.
What is Quartz?
A natural, inorganic solid with a characteristic chemical composition.
What is a mineral?
The way a surface reflects light. (shiny or dull) (metallic or nonmetallic)
What is luster?
The most common silicate mineral.
What is feldspar?
This effect appears as a slit of reflected light, also known as the "cat's eye effect."
What is chatoyancy?
A substance not made from a living thing or the remains of a living thing.
What is inorganic?
The ability of a mineral to glow under UV light.
What is fluorescence?
A mineral may be attracted to iron or iron may be attracted to the mineral if it has this property.
What is magnetic?
The color of a mineral in powder form can be found using this method.
What is streak?
This type of luster lacks shine altogether.
What is earthy?
This type of mineral contains a chemical composition of silicon, oxygen, and potassium (Si + O + K).
What is Orthoclase?
A six-pointed star shape that appears when a mineral reflects light.
What is asterism?
This property is a measure of the ratio of the mass to the volume of a mineral.
What is density?
The splitting of a mineral along smooth, flat surfaces.
What is cleavage?
This property of some minerals such as calcite forms a double image when light passes through.
What is double refraction?
A non-silicate that is a single type of element that does not combine with any other element.
What are native elements?
A mineral glows after being exposed to UV light is said to have this property.
What is phosphorescence?
This property depends on how the atoms, ions or molecules are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern.
What is a crystal?
This property is a poor method for identifying minerals because slight chemical impurities can change it.
What is color?
This tool can detect the breakdown of unstable, radioactive nuclei in minerals.
What is a Geiger Counter?
This type of silicate mineral contains iron and magnesium (Fe + Mg).
What is ferromagnesium?