Minerals

Question 1

building blocks of rocks

Answer 1

Minerals

Question 2

Identify which property of minerals is being described

wavelengths of light reflected by the minerals

least reliable property when it comes to identifying minerals

Answer 2

Color

Question 3

Identify which property of minerals is being described

how light is reflected from the mineral’s surface

Answer 3

Luster

Question 4

Identify which property of minerals is being described

the shape of each crystal or an aggregate of crystals

Answer 4

Crystal Habit

also known as “crystal shape”

Question 5

Identify which property of minerals is being described

the color of the mineral when it is powdered

a useful property when differentiating similar-looking minerals

Answer 5

Streak

Question 6

Identify which property of minerals is being described

how resistant a mineral is to scratching

Answer 6

Hardness

Question 7

the scale used in identifying the hardness of a mineral relative to other minerals

Answer 7

Mohs’ Hardness Scale

Question 8

Identify which property of minerals is being described

the tendency of a mineral to break along preferred planes

these preferred planes are called “zones of weakness”

Answer 8

Cleavage

Question 9

occurs if a mineral doesn’t break along zones of weakness

Answer 9

Fracture