Unit 3 Flashcards
What are the five criteria for determining if something is a mineral?
It must be naturally occuring
It must be a solid
It must be inorganic
It must have a crystal structure
It must have a definite chemical composition
What are six properties of minerals?
Color
Cleavage
Hardness
Streak
Luster
Special Properties
What is the color property of minerals?
It is the color of the mineral
How reliable is the color property of minerals?
Not very reliable
What is the streak property of minerals?
It is the color of the powder produced by the mineral when scraped on unglazed porcelain
How reliable is the streak property of minerals?
Very reliable; no matter the mineral’s color property, it will still have the same streak property
What is the luster property of minerals?
It is how the mineral reflects light; there is metallic, nonmetallic, waxy, earthy, and glassy, and pearly luster
How reliable is the luster property of minerals?
Not very; it is subjective, and can depend on how clean the surface or what surface of the mineral you are looking at
What is the hardness property of minerals?
It is the mineral’s resistance to being scratched; a mineral can scratch and mineral softer than itself but is scratched by any mineral that is harder
What are the ten minerals in order of hardness?
- Talc
- Gypsum
- Calcite
- Fluorite
- Apatite
- Feldspar
- Quartz
- Topaz
- Corundum
- Diamond
How reliable is the hardness property of minerals?
Reliable
What is the cleavage property of minerals?
How they break; some break into sheets, other in right angles, and some fracture, or break irregularly
How reliable is the cleavage property of minerals?
Reliable
What is the special property property of minerals?
Special properties that uniquely identify a mineral; for example, calcite bubbles in the presence of weak acid
How reliable is the special property of minerals?
Very reliable; it can uniquely identify a mineral
When are gemstones called gems?
When they are cut and polished
What is prospecting?
The art of finding materials of interest