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