Minerals Flashcards
Make up the rocks beneath your feet, the soil that supports plants and the deep rock of earth’s mantle
Minerals
Term which identifies minerals as part of Earth’s natural processes
Naturally Occurring
Means a substance is not a product of an organism but rather of Earth’s physical processes
Inorganic
Have definite shape and volume
Homogeneous Solid
Atoms are arranged in order of increasing pattern. Arranged in an orderly and repeating pattern
Crystalline Structure
Represented by chemical formula
Chemical composition
Mineral’s color may change depending on the surface
Color
Color of mineral in powdered form
Streak
Minerals’ resistance to scratching
Hardness
Is used as a convenient way to help identify minerals.
Mohs Hardness Scale
Mohs scale of Hardness from 1 to 10
Talc, Gypsum, Calcite, Fluorite, Apatite, Orthoclase, Quartz, Topaz, Corundum, Diamond
Mineral’s resistance to being broken and fracture
Cleavage
Ability to allow light to pass through it. This is affected by chemical makeup of the mineral sample
Diaphaneity/Amount of Transparency
How light is reflected off a surface
Luster
Describes the minerals reaction to stress
Tenacity
A mineral turns into powder
Brittleness
A mineral can be flattened by pounding with a hammer
Malleability
A mineral can be stretched into wire
Ductility
Minerals are bent but they remain in the new position
Flexible but inelastic
Minerals are bent, and they bring back to their original position
Flexible and elastic
ability of minerals to be sliced by a knife
Sectility