Identifying Minerals

Front

What is the Scratch Test?

Back

A method used to determine the hardness of a mineral by scratching it with a material of known hardness.

Front

What does the term 'Hardness' refer to in minerals?

Back

The ability of a mineral to resist scratching.

Front

Define 'Cleavage' in the context of minerals.

Back

The tendency of a mineral to break along flat surfaces.

Front

What is 'Fracture' in mineralogy?

Back

The way a mineral breaks other than along cleavage planes.

Front

List one property that is NOT used for identifying minerals.

Back

Texture.

Front

What is the Mohs scale?

Back

A scale from 1 to 10 used to measure the hardness of minerals.

Front

What number on the Mohs scale represents the softest mineral?

Back

1.

Front

What is 'Streak' in mineral identification?

Back

The color of the powder a mineral leaves when scratched on a streak plate.

Front

How does 'Specific Gravity' help in identifying minerals?

Back

It measures the density of a mineral compared to the density of water.

Front

What is the difference between 'Cleavage' and 'Fracture'?

Back

Cleavage is the tendency to break along flat surfaces, while fracture is an irregular break.