mineral vocabulary Flashcards
Mineral
A substance that is formed naturally in the Earth, is inorganic, has a definite chemical composition and has crystal structure.
Streak
The color of a mineral’s powder when it is rubbed against a porcelain plate.
luster
the way a suface of a mineral reflects light
inorganic
Not derived from living matter
crystal
a solid formation that follows a pattern
hardness
the ability of anthoer mineral to scratch or to be scratched by anthoer mineral
cleavage
the tendency of crystals and minerals to break along definite planes resulting in smooth sufaces
fracture
the appearance of a freashly broken suface on a mineral that has a rough or irregular surface
mohs hardness scale
a hardness scale used to classify minerals
formula
a set of chemical symbols showing the makeup of a chemical compound
