Minerals Vocabulary

A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances

• atom

• Element

• compound

• mixture

a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition

• luster

• color

• Mineral

• coal

a substance in which the particles are arranged in an orderly, geometric, repeating pattern mineral can be scratched

• Crystal

• mineral

• element

• inorganic

A mineral's ability to split easily along flat surfaces.

• luster

• Cleavage

• fracture

• texture

The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way

• Fracture

• cleavage

• hardness

• color

the color of a mineral's powder

• luster

• crystal

• hardness

• Streak

ratio of a mineral's weight compared with the weight of an equal volume of water

• density

• Specific gravity

• Volume

• mass

A scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest; used in testing the hardness of minerals

• Moh's

• Moe's

• Moore's

• Ohm's

the quality of giving off light, brightness, glitter, brilliance

• hardness

• texture

• Luster

• texture

A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched

• Hardness

• texture

• luster

• texture