Download Rocks and Minerals lesson 1

Name ___________________________Date _______________________ #__________
Using your science text (Chapter 8: pages 238 – 241) as well as other
resources in the room work with your group to uncover the following
information about minerals.
What are minerals? Minerals are natural, nonliving solid crystals that make
up rocks.
How many minerals have scientists identified? Scientists have identified
over 3,000 minerals!
What are the physical properties scientists use to identify minerals?
The five physical properties that scientists use to identify minerals are:
1. Hardness
2. Color
3. Cleavage
4. Streak
5. luster
What are minerals made of? Minerals are made up crystals with a particular
shape. All minerals of a same type have the SAME make up of crystals
regardless of where it is found.
Where are minerals found? Minerals are found in the Earth’s crust, they are
found all over the world!
What do minerals make up? Minerals make up rocks. Examples in the book
were that minerals also make up metal forks, ceramic plates, and salt
Name ___________________________Date _______________________ #__________
What is the Mohs Scale for Hardness and what is it used for? TWO PARTS
– answer each one. The Mohs Scale for Hardness is a scale that determines
the “hardness” of a mineral. It assigns a mineral a number between 1 – 10, 1
being the softest mineral (talc) and 10 being the hardest (diamond).
A higher Mhos scoring means what? The higher a Mohs score, the harder
the mineral. For example, a mineral scoring an 8 on the Mohs Scale can
“scratch” a 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1.
Why is a streak-test useful? A streak test is useful because although
minerals may come in different colors on the outside, the streak (the color
on the inside) will always be the same.