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Characteristics of Minerals
Characteristics of Minerals
By learning the different characteristics of minerals, you will be able to conduct tests to figure out which mineral is which
This helped me when I was in college and was on a field trip for my senior year Mineralogy course. We had to identify various minerals found in rocks by looking at:The types of rocks they were found inBy testing with the characteristics of mineralsLooking at the minerals under a microscope
Mineral Characteristi
cs
Mineral Characteristi
cs
ColorHelps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color
can vary
Mineral Characteristi
cs
Streak
ColorHelps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color
can vary
The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by
rubbing the mineral over a tile
Mineral Characteristi
cs
Streak
Luster
ColorHelps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color
can vary
The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by
rubbing the mineral over a tile
Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common
types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky
Mineral Characteristi
cs
Streak
Luster
Color
Hardness
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color
can vary
The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by
rubbing the mineral over a tile
Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common
types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky
Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use
the Mohs hardness scale
Mineral Characteristi
cs
Streak
Luster
Color
Hardness
Cleavage vs.
Fracture
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color
can vary
The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by
rubbing the mineral over a tile
Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common
types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy, silky
Measures how easily a mineral can be scratched; to determine we will use
the Mohs hardness scale
Cleavage is when minerals break along smooth, flat surfaces and fracture is
when minerals break unevenly
Mineral Characteristi
cs
Streak
Luster
Color
Hardness
Cleavage vs.
FractureDensit
y
Helps to classify a mineral, but not always 100% accurate since color can
vary
The color of a mineral in its powdered form; you get the streak by rubbing the
mineral over a tile
Describes how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral; common types include metallic, glassy, pearly, earthy,
silkyMeasures how easily a mineral can be
scratched; to determine we will use the Mohs hardness scale
Cleavage is when minerals break along smooth, flat surfaces and fracture is
when minerals break unevenly
A property of all matter; it is a ratio of an object’s mass to its volume
D = m/v
Examples of Luster
Metallic luster
Nonmetallic luster; glassy
Mohs scale
The Mohs scale consists of minerals arranged from 1-10 with 1 being the softest and 10 being the hardest
Your fingernail has a hardness of 2.5, so if you can scratch the mineral with your nail then it must be less than 2.5
A cooper penny has a hardness of 3.5 so if your nail can’t scratch a mineral but a penny can, then it must have a hardness between 2.5 and 3.5
A wire nail has a hardness of 4.5A piece of glass has a hardness of 5.5A streak plate has a hardness of 6.5
To Test for Hardness
Cleavage vs. Fracture
