1. Identifying Minerals Every mineral has certain identifying characteristics 1.Color 2.Streak 3.Luster 4.Density 5.Hardness 6.Crystal Systems 7.Cleavage Fracture

2. Color A great way to begin classifying minerals Can narrow down the search, but offers too little information to differentiate minerals of the same color

3. Streak The color of a mineral’s powder You can observe a mineral’s streak by rubbing a mineral against a piece of unglazed porcelain tile called a streak plate

4. Streak A mineral’s streak does not always match its color Ex. Pyrite “Fool’s Gold” = black streak Ex. Gold = yellow streak

5. Luster How light is reflected from a mineral’s surface Examples: minerals that contain metals are shiny Luster: metallic, glassy, waxy, greasy, pearly, dull, silky, earthy

6. Density Density = the mass in a given space, or mass per unit volume No matter the size of a mineral sample, the density will always be the same

7. Hardness Mohs hardness scale ranks 10 minerals from softest to hardest One of the best clues to identifying minerals is to test the hardness of the mineral 10 minerals are: Talc is ranked as a 1 and a Diamond is the hardest known mineral that is ranked as a 10

8. Crystal Systems

9. The classification based on the number and angle of crystal faces Ex. A cubic crystal system has 6 sides of all equal lengths --Magnetite

10. Cleavage A mineral that splits easily along a flat surface has a property called cleavage (ex. Mica)

11. Fracture Most minerals break irregularly, which is known as fracture When you break the mineral, what does it look like?

12. Special Properties Some minerals have unique properties like magnetism and fluorescence Scheelite glows under ultraviolet light

13. Look at the Mineral on your table: Answer the following questions about your mineral: 1) What is its color 2) Does it reflect light? 3) Is it heavy or light? 4) How hard is it? If you try to scratch it with your fingernail, does it leave a mark? 5) How does the mineral break? 6) Does the mineral have any other unique properties?