mineral Identification Flashcards
Dxic flow - 1st decision
Is its Luster: Non-metallic, or Metallic?
Color:
- non-metallic: Light or Dark?
- metallic: Streak’s color + mineral’s color
Second decision if
- Luster is non-metallic
- Luster is metallic
- Non-Metallic: Hardness vs. glass
- Metallic: Streak
If Non-Metallic, Light, is it:
- Harder than glass
- Softer than glass
Metallic - 3 groups of streak colors:
- Streak is black, gray, or greenish-black:
- Streak is brown to reddish-brown:
- Streak is yellow or brown:
Metallic - Streak is black, gray, or greenish-black, and: ✅1. Perfect cubic cleavage, silver-gray color: 2. Magnetic: 3. Steel gray color, H=1, greasy feel: 4. Golden yellow, greenish-black streak: 5. Brass yellow, cubic crystals:
Galena - PbS
Metallic - 4th dxic criterion Streak is black, gray, or greenish-black, and: 1. Perfect cubic cleavage, silver-gray color: ✅2. Magnetic: 3. Steel gray color, H=1, greasy feel: 4. Golden yellow, greenish-black streak: 5. Brass yellow, cubic crystals:
Magnetite - Fe₃O₄
Metallic - Streak is black, gray, or greenish-black, and: 1. Perfect cubic cleavage, silver-gray color: 2. Magnetic: ✅3. Steel gray color, H=1, greasy feel (not granular, fibrous, or micaceous [Hematite]): 4. Golden yellow, greenish-black streak: 5. Brass yellow, cubic crystals:
Graphite - C
Metallic - 4th dxic criterion Streak is black, gray, or greenish-black, and: 1. Perfect cubic cleavage, silver-gray color: 2. Magnetic: 3. Steel gray color, H=1, greasy feel: ✅4. Golden yellow, greenish-black streak: 5. Brass yellow, cubic crystals:
Chalcopyrite - CuFeS₂
Metallic - Streak is black, gray, or greenish-black, and: 1. Perfect cubic cleavage, silver-gray color: 2. Magnetic: 3. Steel gray color, H=1, greasy feel: 4. Golden yellow, greenish-black streak: ✅5. Brass yellow, cubic crystals:
Pyrite - FeS₂
Metallic - Streak brown to reddish-brown, Mineral steel gray and granular, fibrous, or micaceous [not soft or greasy-feeling {≡Graphite}]
Hematite - Fe₂O₃
Metallic - Streak yellow, brown, or brownish yellow; Mineral is yellow, brown, or black
Limonite - Fe₂O₃•H₂O
If non-metallic, light, +H +Clvg, it is:
Feldspar
Both types of feldspars exhibit good cleavage in 2 directions at 〜90º
Orthoclase - light to dark, salmon pinks (K)
Plagioclase - white, grays (Ca, Na)
If it’s Non-met, +H (=7), —Clvg, +Conchoidal fracture it is:
Quartz - SiO2
A mineral is Non-Metallic, Light color, —H, ++Clvg has:
✅1. Perfect cubic cleavage; salty taste; colorless to white; soluble in water
- Perfect cleavage in 1 direction, poor in 2 others; H=2
- Perfect cleavage in 3 directions at 〜75°; effervesces in HCl / 4. efferv. only if powdered
- Good cleavage in 4 directions
- Perfect cleavage in 1 direction —> thin, elastic sheets
- Green to white; soapy feel; pearly luster; H=1; 1 dir of cleavage
Halite - NaCl
A mineral is Non-Metall, Light color, —H, ++Clvg and has:
1. Perfect cubic cleavage; salty taste; colorless to white; soluble in water
✅2. Perfect cleavage in 1 direction, poor clvg in 2 others; H=2
3. Perfect cleavage in 3 directions at ~75°; effervesces in HCl / 4. efferv. only if powdered
5. Good cleavage in 4 directions
6. Perfect cleavage in 1 direction —> thin, elastic sheets
7. Green to white; soapy feel; pearly luster; H=1; 1 dir of cleavage
Gypsum - CaSO4・2H2O