Science Flashcards
a naturally formed, inorganic solid that has a definite chemical structure.
mineral
a naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter.
rock
a substance that cannot be separated or broken down into simpler substance by chemical means.
element
a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds.
compound
a solid whose atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite pattern
crystal
the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light.
color
the way in which a mineral reflects light.
luster
the color of the powder of a mineral.
streak
the splitting of a mineral along smooth flat surface.
cleavage
the manner in which a mineral breaks along either curved or irregular surfaces.
fracture
the ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance.
density
a natural material whose concentration of economically valuable minerals is high enough for the material to be mined profitably.
ore
with a high specific gravity and metallic luster, such as titanium, rutile, tungsten, uranium, tin, lead, iron, etc. In general, the metallic minerals are good conductors of heat and electricity.
Metallic minerals
can be described as the minerals that do not comprise of metals. Some examples of non-metallic minerals are limestone, manganese, mica, gypsum, coal, dolomite, phosphate, salt, granite, etc.
Non-metallic minerals
a precious or semiprecious stone, especially one cut, polished, and used in a piece of jewelry.
Gemstones
