Mineral Identification Booklet Notes

What is a

mineral

?

What is a mineral?



Naturally Occurring:

made by nature not man



Solid:

solid at regular temperatures at Earth’s

surface



Orderly crystal structure:

atoms are

arranged in regular patterns, can make

shapes



Definite chemical composition:

made of

certain combinations of elements



Non

-

organic:

found in nature, but not created

by plants or animals

Draw

Which of these are minerals?

(Halite is NaCl - a mineral)

Which of these are

minerals?



Halite



Steel



Gold



Grass



Oxygen



Diamond



Coal



Graphite



Wood



Sulfur



Ice



Sugar



Gasoline



Copper



Glass

Check for
Understanding:

Minerals can be made of

multiple elements.

This is quartz:

SiO

2

(silicon and

oxygen).

Where do minerals

come from?



Crystallization from magma



Precipitation



Pressure and temperature



Hydrothermal solutions

How do you identify a

mineral?



Hardness



Color



Streak



Luster



Cleavage/Fracture



Crystal Structure

Hardness



A measure of the

resistance of a mineral

to being scratched



Diamond is the hardest

naturally occurring mineral on Earth and can

scratch anything, used in most rock

-

cutting saws



Mohs Hardness Scale

uses easy to find materials to

test the hardness of minerals:

Fingernail (2.5),

Copper coin (3), Glass (5.5), Nail (6.5)

Mohs Hardness Scale

1 Talc

6 Microcline

2 Gypsum

7 Quartz

3 Calcite

8 Topaz

4 Fluorite

9 Corundum

5 Apatite

10 Diamond

Drag and Drop

What is the hardness of the following minerals?

Fluorite ​

Placeholder

Feldspar ​ ​

Placeholder

Galena ​ ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

4

6

2.5

1

10

9

8.5

2

5

Hardness



A measure of the

resistance of a mineral

to being scratched

Mohs Hardness Scale

1 Talc

6 Microcline

2 Gypsum

7 Quartz

3 Calcite

8 Topaz

4 Fluorite

9 Corundum

5 Apatite

10 Diamond

Mineral

Hardness

Fluorite

4

Feldspar

6

Galena

2.5

Dropdown

Check for Understanding: True or False?

1. Calcite can scratch apatite. ​

Select answer

2. Corundum can scratch quartz. ​

Select answer

Color



Small amounts of

different elements

can give a mineral

different colors



Example: Iron = red



Can be a deceptive

property, what are

the minerals on the

right?

Open Ended

What colors are the following three minerals?

1. Fluorite

2. Feldspar

3. Galena

Color



Small amounts of different elements can give

a mineral different colors

Mineral

Color

Fluorite

Purple, Blue, Green, White, Yellow, Colorless

Feldspar

White, Pink
or Gray

Galena

Lead Gray

Streak



The color of a mineral in its powdered form



While color in solid form may vary, streak

will not

Drag and Drop

Perform a streak test on fluorite (#8), feldspar (#4), and galena (#14). What are the streak colors? You can reuse colors---more than one mineral may have the same streak color.



Fluorite: ​​

Placeholder

Feldspar: ​ ​

Placeholder

Galena: ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

White

Grey

Pink

Black

Colorless

Green

Purple

Streak



The color of a mineral in its powdered form

Mineral

Color

Fluorite

White

Feldspar

White

Galena

Grey

Luster



How a mineral interacts with light



Determines whether it appears brilliant or dull



How would you describe the luster of the minerals

below?

Luster

Earthy

Glassy

Metallic

Dull Luster = "It looks like a rock"

Drag and Drop

Identify the luster of the following minerals:

Fluorite: ​

Placeholder

Feldspar: ​

Placeholder

Galena: ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Vitreous

Pearly

Metallic

Dull

Resinous

Greasy

Adamantine

Silky

Luster



How a mineral interacts with light

Mineral

Color

Fluorite

Vitreous

Feldspar

Pearly

Galena

Metallic

Cleavage/Fracture



How a mineral breaks



Cleavage

: the tendency of a

mineral to break along flat,

even surfaces



Fracture

: uneven breaks

that are not along a cleavage

plane

​Sometimes a mineral can show both cleavage AND fracture!

Multiple Choice

What type of breakage does this mineral have?

• Cleavage

• Fracture

Multiple Choice

What type of breakage do these minerals have?

• Cleavage

• Fracture

Dropdown

Identify the breakage of each of the following minerals IN YOUR MINERAL KIT as either cleavage or fracture:



Fluorite (#8): ​

Select answer

Feldspar (#4): ​

Select answer

Galena (#14): ​

Select answer

Cleavage/Fracture



How a mineral breaks

Mineral

Color

Fluorite

Cleavage

Feldspar

Cleavage

Galena

Cleavage

Crystal Structure



The visible expression of a mineral’s internal

arrangement of atoms



When a mineral has the space to form, it develops

crystal faces

Multiple Choice

What shape does the following crystal classify under

• Triclinic

• Hexagonal

• Isometric/Cubic

• Orthorhombic

Multiple Choice

What crystal shape does this mineral have?

• Isometric

• Cubic

• Tetragonal

• Triclinic

Multiple Choice

What shape are the crystals in this mineral?

• Triclinic

• Monoclinic

• Orthrhombic

• Hexagonal

Drag and Drop

Identify the crystal structure of the following minerals in your mineral kit.

Fluorite (#8): ​

Placeholder

Feldspar (#4): ​

Placeholder

Galena (#14): ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Massive

Triclinic

Cubic

monoclinic

Monoclinic

Tetragonal

Hexagonal

Orthorhombic

Crystal Structure



The visible expression of a mineral’s internal

arrangement of atoms

Mineral

Color

Fluorite

Massive

Feldspar

Triclinic

Galena

Cubic