minerals Flashcards
mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties
rock
A rock is a solid mass of geological materials. Geological materials include individual mineral crystals, inorganic non-mineral solids like glass, pieces broken from other rocks, and even fossils
element
In chemistry, an element is a pure substance consisting only of atoms that all have the same numbers of protons in their nuclei
compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules composed of atoms from more than one element held together by chemical bonds
crystal
a piece of a homogeneous solid substance having a natural geometrically regular form with symmetrically arranged plane faces.
color
one, or any mixture, of the constituents into which light can be separated in a spectrum or rainbow, sometimes including (loosely) black and white.
luster
a gentle sheen or soft glow, especially that of a partly reflective surface.
streak
a long, thin line or mark of a different substance or color from its surroundings.
cleavage
Cleavage refers to the way some minerals break along certain lines of weakness in their structure
fracture
A fracture is any separation in a geologic formation, such as a joint or a fault that divides the rock into two or more pieces. A fracture will sometimes form a deep fissure or crevice in the rock.
density
The density of a substance is its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ although the Latin letter D can also be used.
ore
re is a deposit in Earth’s crust of one or more valuable minerals. The most valuable ore deposits contain metals crucial to industry and trade, like copper, gold, and iron
metallic minerals
Metallic minerals are minerals which contain one or more metallic elements. Metallic minerals occur in rare, naturally formed concentrations known as mineral deposits. … Metals such as nickel, copper and zinc are fundamentally important to modern society since they are used for an endless variety of purposes
non metallic minerals
Nonmetallic minerals are a special group of chemical elements from which no new product can be generated if they are melted. Nonmetallic minerals are, for example, sand, gravel, limestone, clay, and marble.
gemstone
A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.
