Topic 2: Lesson 2: Minerals Flashcards
Earth's Systems
a naturally occurring solid that can form by inorganic processes and has a crystal structure and definite chemical composition.
mineral
the repeating pattern of a mineral’s particles forms a solid
crystal
color of its powder; to test it- drag across porcelain plate and determine color of the powder
streak
the way a mineral reflects light; words that describe it are metallic, nonmetallic, waxy, glassy, pearly, etc.
luster
a property of minerals and they may come in many colors; shouldn’t be the only way to identify a mineral
color
how to solve for density
density = mass/volume
a mineral’s ability to split easily along flat surfaces.
cleavage
the way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way
fracture
how a mineral breaks
cleavage and fracture
having very unique characteristics (fluorescence; magnetism, radioactive, electrical)
special properties
the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a regular way to form a crystal; number of faces or sides and the angles at which they meet
crystal structure
a measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched
hardness
a scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest; used in testing the hardness of minerals
Mohs hardness scale
naturally occurring
not man made
to form from materials that were not a part of living things.
inorganic processes
