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Mineral Identification: Properties and Tests

Learn how to identify minerals using hardness, color, streak, luster, density, crystal systems, cleavage, fracture, and special properties. Discover the Mohs hardness scale, streak test, luster descriptions, crystal groups, and unique identifying characteristics.

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Mineral Identification: Properties and Tests

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  1. How To Identify Minerals…

  2. HARDNESS • Mohs hardness scale – ranks ten minerals from softest to hardest. 1 is softest, 10 is hardest. Use the scratch test.

  3. COLOR • Easily observed physical property • Can only be used to identify minerals that always have their own characteristic color.

  4. STREAK • Streak is the color of its powder. • Streak color never varies even if colors do.

  5. LUSTER • Luster describes how a mineral reflects light from its surface. • Terms to describe luster – shiny, glassy, pearly, greasy, earthy.

  6. DENSITY • Mass in a given space, or mass per unit volume. • To calculate, divide mass by volume. • Density = mass / volume

  7. CRYSTAL SYSTEMS • 6 groups of crystals based on number and angle of the crystal faces

  8. CLEAVAGE and FRACTURE • Cleavage: splits easily along flat surfaces • Fracture: breaks apart in an irregular way.

  9. Special Properties • There are many special properties that can be used to identify minerals. • Flurescence, chemical reaction, optical properties, radioactivity, taste (don’t use), magnetism

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