Minerals Lecture Flashcards
What is a mineral?
A naturally occuring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition.
How many minerals have been identified and how many of those are common?
3000+ have been identfied and 100 are common.
How many minerals make up the Earth’s crust?
20 minerals
Define inorganic.
A non-living thing, cannot arise from living matter.
Define solid.
Something that has definite shape and volume.
Define crystalline structure.
Something that is made up of repeat patterns.
What are the 5 properties that minerals are identifed by?
Hardness, streak, luster, cleavage, and fracture.
Describe hardness.
The resistance of a mineral to scratching.
It is measured on the Mohs scale.
Describe streak.
The color of the mineral’s powder.
Describe luster.
How the mineral reflects light.
Describe cleavage.
The splitting of the mineral along a flat surface.
Describe fracture.
How a mineral breaks apart in an irregular way.
What is the Mohs hardness scale?
A scale used to describe the hardness or softness of a mineral. It ranks 10 minerals from softest (1) to hardest (10).
How do minerals form?
Through the crystallization of melted materials or through the crystalization of materials dissolved in water.
What is crystallization?
The process by which atoms are rearranged to form structures called crystals.
