.:. Minerals are Amazing, Especially Diamonds!.:. By: Avianna Cliatt

Have you ever heard of minerals? If not, lets talk about them. In this story, you will learn a lot about minerals. Before we start the story, I want you to know the four characteristics of a mineral and how to identify them. First and foremost, all minerals are formed by nature. Not a single mineral is man-made. All minerals are solid. They all have a definite chemical make-up and a crystal structure. You would identify a mineral by testing its luster, cleavage, fracture, density, and its hardness.

Diamonds The first mineral we are going to talk about is my favorite, right next to Amethyst, my birthstone. This mineral is called Diamond. This mineral is also a favorite to many other girls. It is a favorite to most girls mainly because of its value and its glistening effect. But do you really know what makes a diamond glisten? Its the luster of the diamond. The luster of a mineral is the way in which the light reflects of its surface. Diamond is also the toughest mineral. The only way to split it is by striking it with a sharp object on one of its four cleavages. A diamonds hardness on the Mohs Scale is a perfect 10! And only another diamond can scratch a real diamond. Isnt that amazing?

Copper The next mineral youre going to read about is copper. Copper helps us in many different ways. These ways vary from being able to watch television to making money, usually the penny. Copper is what makes up the wires in cable cords and electronic devices such as Xbox 360, Playstation 1,2, and 3, and even your cell phones. These are the following characteristics of copper: It consists of only on element It has a metallic,shiny, luster, also known as the appearance. It has no cleavage Jagged fracture Reddish streak Its hardness on the Mohs Scale.

Halite (Salt) The final mineral you are going to read about is Halite, also known as salt. Its most common colors are white and it can be clear. But you can also find it in the colors of blue, purple, pink, yellow, and gray. But one thing you should know is that all halite isnt edible. There is also poisonous halite. Here are the following characteristics of halite: Vitreous luster Perfect cleavage; splits in three areas forming cubes Smooth fracture Its hardness is a 2 on the Mohs Scale. White streak

Those are only a few of the many, many minerals there are, here, on Earth. I hope you learned a lot about these minerals.

Resources MSN Clip Art Yahoo! Search engine Ask.com search engine 6 th grade McDougal Littell Earth Science textbook

Acknowledgements I would like to thank the people that provided me with this information that I have used to write this book. I would also like to thank my mother, Angela, for helping me with proof reading and ideas. And last but not least I would like to thank my 6 th grade science teacher, Mrs.Garrett, for encouraging me to write this book. -Avianna