By learning the different characteristics of minerals, you will be able to conduct tests to figure out which mineral is which This helped me when I was in college and was on a field trip for my senior year Mineralogy course. We had to identify various minerals found in rocks by looking at: The types of rocks they were found in By testing with the characteristics of minerals Looking at the minerals under a microscope

Mineral Characteristics

Color Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary

Mineral Characteristics Streak Color Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile

Mineral Characteristics Streak Luster Color Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky

Mineral Characteristics Streak Luster Color Hardness Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use the Mohs hardness scale

Mineral Characteristics Streak Luster Color Hardness Cleavage vs. Fracture Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use the Mohs hardness scale Cleavage is when minerals break along smooth, flat surfaces and fracture is when minerals break unevenly

Mineral Characteristics Streak Luster Color Hardness Cleavage vs. Fracture Density Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can vary The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the mineral over a tile Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use the Mohs hardness scale Cleavage is when minerals break along smooth, flat surfaces and fracture is when minerals break unevenly A property of all matter; it is a ratio of an object’s mass to its volume D = m/v

Metallic luster Nonmetallic luster; glassy

The Mohs scale consists of minerals arranged from with 1 being the softest and 10 being the hardest Your fingernail has a hardness of 2.5, so if you can scratch the mineral with your nail then it must be less than 2.5 A cooper penny has a hardness of 3.5 so if your nail can’t scratch a mineral but a penny can, then it must have a hardness between 2.5 and 3.5 A wire nail has a hardness of 4.5 A piece of glass has a hardness of 5.5 A streak plate has a hardness of 6.5