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Mineral Properties. Physical Properties of Minerals. Color Streak Hardness Cleavage or Fracture Crystalline Structure Magnetism Luster Chemical Composition Specific Gravity (density). Color.
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Physical Properties of Minerals • Color • Streak • Hardness • Cleavage or Fracture • Crystalline Structure • Magnetism • Luster • Chemical Composition • Specific Gravity (density)
Color • 18 Of the mineral properties, color is the least accurate for figuring out a mineral’s identity • 23 The purest color of quartz is clear because it has the fewest impurities inside of it
Streak • 13 A mineral’s streak is the powder left behind when a mineral scratches against a streak plate. • 14 The color of the powder that a mineral leaves on a piece of white, unglazed porcelain is called the streak.
Luster • 20 This characteristic is how light reflects off the mineral.
Luster • 21 Metallic and nonmetallic describes a mineral’s luster
Another Property • Cleavage or Fracture
Cleavage • 15 Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break along flat surfaces.
Cleavage • 17 A Diamond breaks evenly and this is called cleavage.
Fracture • 15 Fracture is the tendency of minerals to break into irregular pieces.
Fracture • 16 Quartz breaks unevenly and this is called fracture
Hardness • This physical property is expressed in numbers and shows how the substance withstands being scratched.
10 Minerals are identified by Hardness is tested by scratching
Hardness • What is Mohs' hardness scale? • 9 A scale from 1 to 10 that measures the hardness of minerals.
Hardness • Which is the softest?
Hardness • Which is the hardest?
11 What physical properties can be expressed in numbers and shows how that substance withstands being scratched? Hardness
Other Properties • Magnetism • Crystalline Structure • Chemical Composition • Specific Gravity (density)
Do you have all 9? • Color • Streak • Hardness • Cleavage or Fracture • Crystalline Structure • Magnetism • Luster • Chemical Composition • Specific Gravity (density)
19 The most common classification of minerals is based on chemical composition. • 22 This is considered a special property that applies to only a few minerals. Magnetism.