1. Identifying Minerals

2. Minerals can be identified by looking at their physical properties including: color, luster, streak, cleavage or fracture, and hardness

3. Color Minerals can come in a variety of colors
Colors can be influenced by impurities
Not the best way to identify minerals

4. Luster The way a surface reflects light
Minerals can have metallic luster, shiny
Minerals can have nonmetallic luster, dull

5. Streak Color of a mineral in powdered form
Less impurities so it is a better way to identify a mineral

6. Cleavage and Fracture
Cleavage – Tendency to break along smooth, flat surfaces
Fracture – Tendency to break along unevenly curved or irregular surfaces

7. Hardness Resistance to being scratched Minerals are rated 1 to 10
10 is the hardest and 1 is the softest