WARM UP 11-12-131.What are the 5 properties of

a mineral?2.What are two different types

of tests you can do on a mineral to see what mineral it is?

ROCKS AND MINERALS

MOH’S SCALE OF HARDNESSMoh’s Scale of Hardness was made by a man named Friedrich Moh. It measures to see how much a mineral can be scratched. It goes from talc to diamond.

TALC

• softest on Moh’s scale• light to dark green, brown,

white• monoclinic or triclinic• fractures in an uneven way• Streak is white to pearl

green• its luster is pearly or wax-

like• can be used as talcum

powder or baby powder.

GYPSUM

• number 2 on the scale of hardness

• colorless to white; may be yellow, tan, blue, pink, brown, reddish brown or gray due to impurities

• luster is vitreous to silky, pearly, or waxy

• streak is white• prismatic• can be used as drywall

CALCITE

• colorless or white, also gray, yellow, green

• conchoidal• number 3 on the scale• streak is white• trigonal hexagon

scalenohedral• vitreous to pearly on

cleavage surfaces

FLUORITE

• colorless, white, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, brown, bluish black; commonly zoned

• isometric• subconchoidal to uneven• vitreous• number 4 on scale• streak is white

APATITE

• transparent to translucent, usually green, less often colorless, yellow, blue to violet, pink, brown.

• hexagonal• streak is white• conchoidal to uneven

FELDSPAR• pink, white, gray, brown• vitreous• streak is white• is number 6 on the scale• triclinic or monoclinic

QUARTZ• from colorless to black,

through various colors• trigonal trapezohedral

and hexagonal• vitreous – waxy to dull

when massive• streak is white• number 7 in scale

TOPAZ• colorless (if no

impurities), blue, brown, orange, gray, yellow, green, pink and reddish pink

• Orthorhombic• vitreous• streak is white• number 8 on the scale

CORUNDUM• colorless, gray, brown; pink

to pigeon-blood-red, orange, yellow, green, blue to cornflower blue, violet; may be color zoned, asteriated mainly grey and brown

• trigonal• number 9 on scale• vitreous• streak is white

DIAMOND!!!!• typically yellow, brown or

gray to colorless. Less often blue, green, black, translucent white, pink, violet, orange, purple and red.

• octahedral• hardest mineral• no color streak• the only thing that can

scratch diamond is diamond• admantine