Thursday, February 9, 2012

Mineral Identification














Physical properties of minerals include:
  • crystal form- shape, arrangement of atoms
  • cleavage- tendency to break with a smooth plane
  • fracture-uneven breakage of a mineral
  • luster- how light is reflected from the surface
  • color- obvious, but not very reliable
  • streak- color of a mineral in powder form
  • density- ratio of mass/volume
  • hardness- resistance to abrasion, using Moh's scale of hardness

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