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Mineral – a naturally occurring, inorganic solid,
with a definite composition,
and an orderly arrangement of atoms
4 Characteristics of Minerals:
1. formed by natural processes
2. Inorganic
3. Crystal – a solid in which the atoms
are arranged in a pattern that is
repeated over and over again
4. Element or compound
How Do Minerals Form?
-when magma cools
slow = large crystals
rapidly = small crystals
Silicates- minerals that contain Si and O
Oxygen is the must abundant
element in Earth’s crust
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1. Color (the least reliable)
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1. Color
2. Appearance
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1. Color
2. Appearance
3. Hardness - a measure of how easily a mineral
can be scratched (Mohs Hardness
Scale)
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1. Color
2. Appearance
3. Hardness - a measure of how easily a mineral
can be scratched
Friedrich
Mohs
1 = softest = talc
10 = hardest = diamond
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Color
Appearance
Hardness
Luster - how light reflects from a mineral’s surface
metallic
nonmetallic
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Color
Appearance
Hardness
Luster
Streak - the color of a mineral in its powdered form
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Color
Appearance
Hardness
Luster
Streak
Cleavage - describes minerals that break along
smooth, flat surfaces
7 Characteristics Used to Identify Minerals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Color
Appearance
Hardness
Luster
Streak
Cleavage
Fracture - minerals that break
along uneven, rough, or
jagged surfaces