minerals

Question 1

What is a mineral?

Answer 1

naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition.

Question 2

Luster

Answer 2

used to describe how light is reflected from a minerals surface

Question 3

streak

Answer 3

color of a minerals powder

Question 4

Mohs hardness scale

Answer 4

ranks ten minerals from softest to hardest

Question 5

Density

Answer 5

mass g/ volume cm3

Question 6

cleavage

Answer 6

mineral that splits easily along flat surfaces

Question 7

fracture

Answer 7

when a mineral breaks apart in an irregular way

Question 8

geode

Answer 8

a rounded hollow rock that is often lined with mineral crystals

Question 9

crystallization

Answer 9

the process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure

Question 10

vein

Answer 10

a narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is different from the surrounding rock

Question 11

Where minerals form?

Answer 11

On the surface through evaporation of solutions containing dissolved minerals.Beneath the surface when dissolved elements and compounds leave a hot water solution or when magma cools and hardens.

Question 12

gemstone

Answer 12

hard colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster

Question 13

metals

Answer 13

not as hard as gemstones, but useful to be stretched into wire flattened into sheets and hammered or molded without breaking

Question 14

ore

Answer 14

rock that contains a metal or other useful mineral that can be minded and sold at a profit

Question 15

alloy

Answer 15

solid mixture of two or more elements at least one of which is a metal. steel is an alloy

Question 16

smelting

Answer 16

the process when an ore is mixed with other substances and then melted to separate the useful metal from other elements the ore contains

Question 17

to produce metal from a mineral

Answer 17

a rock containing the mineral must be located through prospecting and mined or removed from the ground. then the rock must be processed to extract the metal

Question 18

minerals are the source of

Answer 18

gemstones metals and a variety of materials used to make many products

Question 19

Minerals form as hot magma cools inside the crust or as lava hardens on the surface. when these liquids cool to a solid state they form crystals

Answer 19

when elements and compounds that are dissolved in water leave a solution crystallization of minerals occurs

Question 20

halite is a mineral formed through the evaporation of

Answer 20

a solution

Question 21

in a mineral the particles line up in a repeating pattern to form

Answer 21

a crystal

Question 22

minerals from which metals can be removed in usable amounts are called

Answer 22

ores