1 / 10

Mineral Identification

Mineral Identification. Mr. Jensen Ref: McGuire – ES/PS. Minerals can be identified using their distinctive physical and chemical properties. . Mineral properties include: Color Luster Hardness Cleavage Streak Characteristics Composition. Identifying Minerals.

mariah
Download Presentation

Mineral Identification

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mineral Identification Mr. Jensen Ref: McGuire – ES/PS

  2. Minerals can be identified using their distinctive physical and chemical properties. Mineral properties include: Color Luster Hardness Cleavage Streak Characteristics Composition Identifying Minerals

  3. Table 2-1: Common Rock Forming Minerals

  4. Minerals: Color • Color • Many minerals have a characteristic color • Impurities may discolor certain light colored minerals • Ex. Quartz and calcite which are typically colorless. • Dark color minerals typically do not have this problem.

  5. Minerals: Luster • Luster • Describes the way light is reflected from the freshly cut surface of a mineral. • Metallic Luster • Hard shiny look like polished metal. • Light is unable to penetrate. • Ex. Pyrite, galena and magnetite • Non-Metallic Luster • May be shiny but some light is able to penetrate. • Includes glassy, waxy, pearly and earthy (dull) lusters • Ex. Calcite, quartz and feldspar

  6. Minerals: Streak • Streak • The color of the mineral in a powder form. • The test for streak is performed by rubbing a fresh corner of the mineral across a white, unglazed streak plate. • Several minerals have a streak that is not the same color as the mineral itself. • Most metallic luster minerals have a dark colored streak. (Ex. Graphite, Pyrite)

  7. Minerals: Crystal Structure • Crystal Structure • Minerals form characteristically shaped crystals • A crystal is a regularly shaped solid formed by an ordered pattern of atoms.

  8. Minerals: Hardness • Hardness • Minerals differ in hardness • Tested by scratching mineral with other materials of known hardness • Friedrich Mohs (Geologist) created the Moh’s scale for hardness

  9. Minerals: Cleavage • Cleavage • If a mineral breaks readily along flat surfaces it shows cleavage • Many minerals break along flat surfaces called cleavage planes • Minerals that break along even surfaces that do not follow atomic arrangement (crystal faces) are said to show fracture

  10. Minerals: Density • Density • Minerals vary in density and specific gravity (ratio of density and water)

More Related