Minerals Flashcards
Naturally occurring chemical elements
Inorganic compound
Homogeneous solid
Definite chemical composition
Organized internal structure
MINERALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
• Color and Streak
• Hardness
• Cleavage and Fracture
• Luster
• Habit
Enumerate the different mineral groups
SILICATES
OXIDES
SULFIDES
SULFATES
NATIVE ELEMENTS
HALIDES
CARBONATES
PHOSPHATES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-most obvious property of a mineral
-it can be unreliable because of the presence of impurities and imperfections
Color
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-color of a mineral in the powder form
-more reliable than color
Streak
Mohs Hardness Scale is developed by…?
Friedrich Mohs
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
- where a smooth break results to flat crystal face
Cleavage
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-refers to rough or irregular surfaces along which the mineral breaks randomly
Fracture
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-specifies how much of the mineral reflects light
Luster
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
- term used to describe general shape of a crystal.
Habit
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
- what mineral is the softest?
Talc
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-what mineral is the hardest?
Diamond
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-cleavage in one direction
Muscovite
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-cleavage in two directions
Feldspar
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
-cleavage in three directions
Halite