1. Properties of Minerals Students should write notes in yellow

2. COLOR what you observe with your eyes
can change due to impurities, water, and air
NOT the best way to identify a mineral

3. STREAK the color of the powder of a mineral
not always the same color as the color of the mineral
not affected by water and air
more reliable to identify minerals than color

4. LUSTER the way in which a mineral reflects light
can be metallic or nonmetallic
some common words to describe nonmetallic luster are glassy, waxy, silky, and earthy

5. HARDNESS a measure of the ability of a mineral to resist scratching
Mohs’ Hardness Scale
talc is the softest (1), and diamonds are the hardest (10)

6. DENSITY
The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of a substance.
D= M/V

7. CLEAVAGE
a mineral splitting along smooth flat surfaces
clean breaks

8. FRACTURE a mineral breaking along either curved or irregular surfaces
breaks in rough, jagged pieces instead of clean lines