Download Mineral Study Guide - CLC Charter School

Name ____________________
Mineral Study Guide
Go to http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Minerals/Minerals1.html
and work your way through the tutorial to help you to find the answers to the study
guide questions.
Define:
Mineral
Crystal
Amorphous solids
What is important to know about quartz that is found in Asia and quartz that is found in
the US?
How many naturally occurring elements are on earth?
How many elements make up over 98% of the Earth’s crust?
List the names of those elements.
How many minerals are found on Earth?
How many of them make up the majority of the rocks on Earth?
How do scientists classify/group minerals?
What is a property?
What are the five main properties that we’ll be using to identify minerals?
What is luster?
What are the two many ways to categorize a mineral/s luster?
Metallic minerals shine like ______.
Define each of these non-metallic lusters
Pearly luster
Greasy luster
Earthy luster
Vitreous luster
What is the easiest property to see?
Why is it not the best way to identify a mineral?
Why is quartz a good example of this problem?
Define streak
What did Frederick Mohs invent?
What is the softest mineral?
What is the hardest mineral?
List four ways to scratch a mineral to help determine its hardness.
What is a cleavage plane?
What mineral has perfect cleavage?
What is fracture?
What type of fracture does obsidian have?
What makes a mineral magnetic?
What did ancient sailors use to make compasses? Why?