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Mineral Identification

Mineral Identification. 6.6C: The student is expected to test the physical properties of minerals, including hardness, color, luster and streak. Learning Targets. I can test the physical properties of minerals, including hardness, color, luster and streak. But, first, what is a mineral?.

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Mineral Identification

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  1. Mineral Identification 6.6C: The student is expected to test the physical properties of minerals, including hardness, color, luster and streak.

  2. Learning Targets • I can test the physical properties of minerals, including hardness, color, luster and streak.

  3. But, first, what is a mineral? • A solid, inorganic material that forms naturally on or beneath Earth’s surface. • Almost all have a crystal structure • All have a definite chemical composition • Have certain physical properties that can be used to identify them.

  4. What aren’t they? • They are not just rocks!

  5. Let’s take a closer look at the properties of minerals… • Color: that’s easy! • Magnetism: does it stick to a magnet? • Fluorescence: does it glow under a fluorescent light? • Electrical: does it have any electrical power? • How they break: easily along a flat surface (cleavage) or along irregular surfaces (fracture)

  6. And some more properties… • Luster: the way a mineral reflects light from its surface; can be glassy, pearly, silky, metallic or earthy • Streak: the color of a mineral’s powder, found by rubbing the mineral on a tile • Hardness: using a scratch test, we can compare how hard a mineral is to other minerals on the Mohs scale where 1 is the softest (talc) and 10 is the hardest (diamond)

  7. When identifying a mineral -- • You must perform multiple tests and then use the data to compare to known information charts and make a determination about its identity.

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