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    ES205

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    The document discusses the physical properties that can be used to identify minerals, including color, luster, hardness, streak, cleavage, fracture, density, acid reaction, taste, magnetism, and feel. It provides examples and descriptions for each property and how they can help distinguish different minerals.

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    ES205

    Uploaded by

    waustavaiqia
    9 views43 pages
    The document discusses the physical properties that can be used to identify minerals, including color, luster, hardness, streak, cleavage, fracture, density, acid reaction, taste, magnetism, and feel. It provides examples and descriptions for each property and how they can help distinguish different minerals.

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    The document discusses the physical properties that can be used to identify minerals, including color, luster, hardness, streak, cleavage, fracture, density, acid reaction, taste, magnetism, and feel. It provides examples and descriptions for each property and how they can help distinguish different minerals.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    9 views43 pages

    ES205

    Uploaded by

    waustavaiqia
    The document discusses the physical properties that can be used to identify minerals, including color, luster, hardness, streak, cleavage, fracture, density, acid reaction, taste, magnetism, and feel. It provides examples and descriptions for each property and how they can help distinguish different minerals.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 43

    Physical Properties of Minerals

    Minerals: the building blocks of rocks

    • Definition of a Mineral:
    ✔ naturally occurring

    ✔ inorganic

    ✔ solid

    ✔ characteristic crystalline structure

    ✔ definite chemical composition


    How do we identify minerals?

    • Physical properties:
    ✔ Color

    ✔ Streak

    ✔ Luster

    ✔ Hardness

    ✔ Crystal form

    ✔ Cleavage
    ✔ Fracture

    ✔ Density

    ✔ Distinctive

    1. Colour
    •Determined by the chemical composition of the
    mineral
    •Colour is not particularly useful as a diagnostic
    property
    •Some minerals show a wide variety of colours
    •Quartz can be transparent, white, pink, brown,
    purple, yellow, orange and even black
    •Many minerals show very similar colours
    Colour

    • Allochromatic minerals show colour variations


    • Idiochromatic minerals have constant colour
    Mineralogy 5

    Colour 4
    E
    xamples of colour variation in Fluorite
    Colour 5
    Plagioclase feldspar

    Quartz
    Calcite Barytes

    Fluorite Gypsum

    All these minerals are grey or white in colour

    2cm
    The way in which a mineral
    2. Lustre reflects light
    Controlled by the atomic
    structure of the mineral
    Main types of lustre are
    Vitreous
    Metallic
    Pearly
    Resinous
    Adamantine
    Dull/Earthy
    Quartz – Vitreous
    Lustre
    Vitreous Lustre
    Fluorite
    Dog-Tooth Calcite
    The mineral reflects light like glass
    Sometimes glassy lustre is used instead of vitreous
    Metallic Lustre
    Malachite
    GalenaMinerals reflect light

    like metals.
    Metallic lustre often tarnishes to a dull lustre

    Biotite Mica Muscovite Mica


    Pearly Lustre
    The lustre of a pearl or
    mother of pearl
    Shows clearly on the
    cleavage surfaces of
    biotite and muscovite
    Silky Lustre

    mica
    Also shown by Talc
    and selenite (a variety
    of gypsum)

    1cm
    The Occurs in minerals with a
    lustre fibrous structure
    of
    silk Satin spar (a fibrous form
    of gypsum) shows this to
    good effect

    Gypsum (Satin Spar)

    1cm
    The
    Resinous Lustre
    lustre of resin
    The mineral has a
    grainy appearance
    Sphalerite, opal
    and amber show
    resinous lustre
    Sphalerite (Zinc Blende)
    Dull or Earthy
    Lustre

    The mineral does not reflect


    light and has the same
    appearance as soil.
    Minerals such as galena
    have metallic lustres on
    freshly broken surfaces but
    they tarnish to dull with
    prolonged exposure to the
    atmosphere 1cm
    Limonite has a dull or earthy lustre
    3. Streak
    The colour of a mineral’s powder
    Obtained by rubbing a mineral
    specimen on an unglazed white
    porcelain tile
    Useful for identifying metallic ore
    minerals
    Silicates generally do not mark
    the tile and have no streak

    White minerals streaked on a white


    tile will have a white streak
    Any minerals harder than the tile (6)
    will scratch it
    Haematite gives a cherry red
    streak
    Metallic Ore Minerals – Characteristic Streaks
    4. Hardness
    Measured on Moh’s scale from 1.0 (softest) to 10

    (hardest)

    Talc 1.0 Diamond 10.0


    Scale was devised by measuring the amount of noise and powder
    produced from rubbing a mineral on a metal file
    Moh’s Scale of Hardness
    Steel nail 5.5-6.0
    Fingernail 2.5
    Copper coin 3.0
    Window glass 5.0

    Everyday objects can be substituted for minerals on Moh’s scale


    Testing For Hardness
    Try to scratch mineral
    specimens with substances of
    known hardness
    If a mineral is not scratched by
    your fingernail, but is
    scratched by a copper coin
    then it will have a hardness of
    2.5–3.0
    If a mineral cannot be
    scratched by steel it has a
    hardness of over 6.0

    Gypsum is scratched by a
    fingernail, hardness <2.5
    5.Fracture
    The way a mineral breaks when struck by a
    hammer
    The type of fracture is not controlled by any weaknesses
    in the atomic structure of the mineral
    Types of Fracture
    Conchoidal – Like Glass
    Even – Flat fracture surface
    Uneven – Irregular fracture surface
    Hackly – Very jagged like cast
    iron

    Fracture is only described when the mineral has no cleavage


    Conchoidal Fracture
    This type of fracture is
    the same as that shown
    by window glass
    A series of concentric
    curved lines can be
    seen on the fractured
    surface
    A diagnostic property of
    the mineral quartz
    5mm

    Rose quartz showing conchoidal fracture

    6. Cleavage
    The way a mineral breaks
    when struck by a hammer
    Cleavage is controlled by lines
    of weakness in the atomic
    structure of the mineral
    Minerals can have 1, 2, 3
    or 4 planes of cleavage
    1 plane, parallel or
    basal cleavage
    2 planes of cleavage that
    intersect at a characteristic angle
    3 planes (cubic, rhombohedral)
    4 planes, octahedral cleavage
    Parallel or Basal
    Cleavage
    1cm B

    iotite Mica Barytes

    1cm
    One plane of cleavage enables the mineral to part along
    parallel lines. It is analogous to a ream of paper that can be
    separated into individual sheets.
    Minerals Showing 2 Sets of Cleavage

    Planes 1cm
    1cm

    Augite Plagioclase Feldspar Feldspars –

    intersect at 90 degrees

    Augite (Pyroxene) – intersect at 90 degrees


    Hornblende (Amphibole) – Intersect at 60/120
    degrees

    Prismatic
    Halite
    Cl
    1cm
    ea
    va
    ge
    1cm Calcite
    Produced by the intersect at 90 degrees e.g.
    intersection of three halite
    cleavage planes
    Rhombohedral cleavage 3
    Cubic cleavage 3 planes planes intersect at 60/120
    degrees e.g. calcite
    7.Acid Reaction
    Use dilute hydrochloric acid
    to test for carbonates
    Calcite effervesces (fizzes)
    and gives off carbon dioxide
    gas

    Calcite reacting and giving


    off carbon dioxide

    2cm
    8.Taste

    If a mineral can be
    tasted in the mouth, then
    it is soluble in fresh
    water
    Halite (rock salt) tastes
    salty and is a diagnostic
    property of the mineral
    Magnetism
    1cm
    Steel pins and magnet
    Octahedral crystals of Magnetite attracted to
    Magnetite
    The ability of a mineral to attract iron filings and pick up steel pins
    Magnets stick to magnetite quite readily and is the only
    strongly magnetic mineral found at the earth’s surface

    Feel
    A characteristic sensation experienced when a mineral is held and rubbed
    between the fingers

    2cm 2cm
    Graphite feels very cold upon
    the touch as it is a very good Form or Habit
    conductor of heat
    Talc feels very greasy when
    rubbed between the fingers
    Amo
    rphous Chalcopyrite
    Crystallised Iron Pyrite

    This refers to the common appearance of the mineral and


    varies from crystallised to amorphous or massiveThe external
    shape (habit) of well-developed crystals can be visually studied and
    classified
    Variations in Habit/Form/Appearance of Minerals
    Variations in Habit/Form/Appearance of Minerals
    Diagnostic Properties
    Those properties that allow any mineral to be

    identified Most minerals have two to four diagnostic

    properties Hardness, cleavage, streak and habit are

    most useful Colour, lustre, transparency and density

    are less useful

    Special properties such as acid reaction, taste, magnetism, striking


    fire with steel and feel are often used to identify a mineral

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