1. Rocks & Minerals

2. Physical properties See, hear, touch, taste, smell
Density D = Mass ÷ Volume
Hardness
What it is made of

3. Minerals Are:
* Solid, inorganic materials that form naturally on or beneath the Earth’s surface.

4. Naturally Occurring – not man-made.
Inorganic – not made from living things.

5. Identify Minerals
Look at the Properties – characteristics that make one mineral different from other minerals.

6. Ways to Identify:
Hardness
Color
Streak
Luster
Cleavage
Density

7. Hardness
Mohs Hardness Scale
Ranks minerals from 1 (soft) to 10 (hard)

8. 1 –Talc: flakes off w/ fingernail
2- Gypsum: scratches w/ fingernail
3 – Calcite: scratch w/ penny
4 – Fluorite: easy to scratch w/ steel nail
5 – Apatite: scratch w/ steel nail
6 – Feldspar: it scratches glass
7 – Quartz: can scratch steel & glass easily
8 – Topaz: can scratch Quartz
9 – Corundum: can scratch Topaz
10 – Diamond: can scratch all other minerals

9. Color
Not good to use.
Several minerals come in different colors.

10. Streak Color of a mineral’s powder.
Rub the mineral on a “streak plate”

11. Luster How a mineral reflects light.
Glassy, pearly, silky, metallic, earthy

12. Cleavage & Fracture
Cleavage: split apart easily along flat surfaces.
Fracture: irregular surface where it breaks

13. Density
How much mass is contained in a given volume
D = M ÷ V

14. Other Properties: Chemical reaction: fizzes with vinegar (Calcite)
Transparent – can see through it
Opaque – pearly, cloudy
Magnetic * High Mass