rock & mineral Flashcards
mineral
a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.
rock
the solid mineral material forming part of the surface of the earth and other similar planets, exposed on the surface or underlying the soil or oceans.
element
an element is a substance whose atoms all have the same number of protons
compound
a thing that is composed of two or more separate elements; a mixture.
crystal
a piece of a homogeneous solid substance having a natural geometrically regular form with symmetrically arranged plane faces.
color
the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by it
luster
the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock, or mineral.
streak
a line or mark of a different color or texture from the ground
cleavage
how some minerals break along flat planes when exposed to stress, such as being hit with a hammer.
fracture
the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress.
density
a measure of mass per volume
ore
a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted.
metallic minerals
minerals which contain one or more metallic elements.
non-metallic minerals
reserves consist of stone quarries and clay and sand pits
gemstones
a precious or semiprecious stone, especially one cut, polished, and used in a piece of jewelry.
