Geología Flashcards
What’s a mineral?
A mineral is a solid homogenous substance that arises naturally through abiotic processes
Mineral properties
Streak, luster, transparency. birefringence and fluorescence.
Color is a useful properity to distinguish minerals?
Color can vary across in the same type of mineral, in account of impurites. This is why color alone is not very useful property for distingushing minerals.
What’s streak?
Streak is simply the color of a mineral powder. The streak of a mineral reveals the mineral’s true color with no impurities.
What’s luster?
It’s the way the surface of a mineral reflects light
What’s transparency?
It’s the ability of the mineral to let the light through it.
What’s birefringence?
It’s the mineral’s property of splitting the ray of light into two as it passes through.
What’s fluorescence?
It’s the mineral’s property in which light is given off upon exposure to ultraviolet light.
