Download Science Probe 7

Science Probe 7
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Name: _____________________________
Due Date:_______________Block: _______
Title (pg. 179): __________________________________________________
7.1
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Read pages 179-183
Add the first highlighted word to your vocabulary list
If you look carefully at rocks you will see that they are not all the _____________. Some are white some
are black. Others are brightly coloured or have several different colours. One rock may be soft and dull,
whereas another rock may be hard and shiny. An important step in learning how to understand rocks is
finding ways to ________________________ them into groups based on their _____________________.
Properties are observable facts about a material, such as _________________.
All rocks are made up of _______________________. Minerals are pure, naturally occurring substances
that are founding the Earth’s crust. An example of a mineral would be ______________________.
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Characteristics used to identify rocks:
1.) Colour
Colour is easy to determine and can be an important clue to a minerals identity. By itself, however,
colour is not a reliable way to identify minerals. Different minerals may be the same
_______________________. For example, both ____________________ and ___________________
are yellow.
2.) Streak
Streak describes the colour of the powdery ________________ that some minerals make when they are
scratched against a hard surface. To see the streak clearly, geologists scratch a mineral on a
_______________________________. The streak can be more reliable than colour when identifying a
mineral. Pyrite (fool’s gold) and gold are both yellow, but gold makes a __________________ streak
and pyrite makes a __________________ streak.
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Draw and colour a pyrite and gold streak sample:
_
Gold
Pyrite
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Streak Plate
3.) Luster
Luster is the degree of ________________________. Some minerals, such as gold, have a
___________________________ luster. Others such as obsidian look __________________. Still
others such as Asbestos have a ____________________ appearance.
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4.) Hardness
The hardness of a mineral can be determined by scratching one mineral against __________________.
A mineral can make a scratch on any mineral that is ______________ than it is, but it cannot make a
scratch on a mineral that is ________________ than it is.
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Scientists use a set of ten standard minerals to compare hardness, called the __________ hardness
scale. Fill in the missing blanks in the scale below:
Mohs Hardness Scale
Hardness scale of materials you can easily
find
1.) Talc
SOFTEST
2.) Gypsum
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2-3
fingernail
3.)
4.) Fluorite
3-4
5.) Apatite
5-6
nail or glass bottle
7.)
6-7
steel file
8.) Topaz
7-8
9.) Corundum
9
6.) Feldspar
10.)
emery paper
HARDEST
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5.) Crystal Structure
All minerals are _______________________. Crystals have regular shapes because they are made up
of tiny particles that are connected in a ___________________________ pattern.
The size of the crystals tells a scientist how quickly a mineral cooled from a liquid to a solid.

Large crystals indicate _______________________________________________.

Small crystals indicate _______________________________________________.
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6.) Cleavage
Some minerals break, or fracture, into pieces with rough, _______________ surfaces. Quartz breaks
this way. Other minerals usually split or crack along ____________________ or flat surfaces. For
example, Halite always splits into ____________________.
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7.) Magnetism
Magnetism is the ability of a mineral to attract a ____________________. Only minerals that contain
__________________ are magnetic, so most minerals do not fit in this category.
8.) Reaction with Certain Chemicals
Some minerals can be identified by their reaction with certain chemicals.
List the three minerals that react with vinegar to produce fizzing or bubbling on the surface.

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________
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