Minerals

So what is a mineral?
What are the

characteristics of all
minerals?
1. A mineral occurs naturally.
2. A mineral is solid.
3. A mineral has a definite
chemical composition.
5. A mineral is inorganic (was
never alive)
Of the almost 4000 known
minerals, only about 30 are
common.
The most common are
quartz,feldspar,mica, and
calcite.
These minerals make up most
of the rocks found in the
Earth’s crust.
In fact, over 60% of the Earth’s
crust is made up of the family
of minerals known as
feldspar!
Atoms within minerals arrange
themselves in certain
configurations
As crystals grow, they take on
specific shapes.
To be able to identify these and
other minerals, we need to
look at the properties used to
separate and distinguish
these minerals.
Remember!:
Rarely is a mineral identified
by a single property.
These properties need to be
considered together to
correctly identify a mineral.
Color is the most easily
observed mineral property
and the least useful!
Some exceptions to the color
rule would be cinnabar,
which is always red, and
malachite, which is green.
Many minerals have a similar
color.
Many minerals can turn
colors due to impurities, or
they can change colors in
various circumstances.
For example, pure quartz is
colorless or white,
impurities can make the
mineral rose, purple or pink!
Discuss the following!
How many of the

characteristics of minerals
can you name?
Why isn’t color a very good

property to identify most
minerals?
Luster refers to the way a
mineral shines in reflected
light.
Notice the difference
between these two
minerals?
The mineral on the left has a
metallic luster, the one on
the right, a nonmetallic
luster.
There are several terms used to
describe nonmetallic luster.
Examples could be vitreous,
like the quartz on the left, or
pearly, like the gypsum on the
right.
Other terms that might be used
include greasy, dull, and earthy.
Can you tell which of these has an
earthy luster and which has a
vitreous luster?
Vitreou
sEarth
Streak of a mineral is the color
of its powder when rubbed on
an unglazed white tile.
The streak is often not the same
color as the mineral.
A minerals color may vary, but
the streak rarely will!
The cleavage of a mineral is its
tendency to split easily or to
separate along flat surfaces.
Cleavage can even be observed
on tiny mineral grains making
it a very useful property!
Mica is probably the best
example as it splits into thin
sheets. It is said to have one
perfect cleavage.
Feldspar splits readily in two
directions, always at or near
right angles.
Calcite and galena cleave in three
directions.
They are said to have three good
cleavages.
Not all minerals show cleavage.
Those that don’t break along
cleavage surfaces are said to
have fracture.
There are four common

minerals, how many can you
name?
Of the four common minerals,

which one makes up over
The hardness of a mineral is its
resistance to being scratched.
Diamond is the hardest of all
minerals, and talc is the
softest.
Friedrich Mohs devised a
hardness scale.
In this scale, ten wellknown
minerals are given numbers
from one to ten.
Lets take a look at the ten
minerals used and some of the
simple tests.
Talc (left) is the softest and has a
hardness of 1. A soft pencil lead
will scratch talc.
Gypsum is a bit harder and has a
hardness of 2. A fingernail
scratches gypsum.
Calcite (left) has a hardness of 3
and a copper penny just
scratches it.
Fluorite has a hardness of 4 and it
can be scratched by an iron or
brass nail.
Apatite (left) has a hardness of 5
and can be scratched by a steel
knife blade.
Feldspar has a hardness of 6 and it
will scratch a window glass.
Quartz (left), with a hardness of 7,
is the hardest of the common
minerals. It easily scratches hard
glass and steel.
Topaz has a hardness of 8 and will
scratch quartz.
Corundum (left) has a hardness of
9. Corundum will scratch topaz.
Diamond with its hardness of 10
can easily scratch the rest of the
minerals.
Does this mineral show

cleavage or fracture?
Of the four most common

minerals, which is the highest
hardness?
Specific gravity tells you how
many times as dense as water
the mineral is.
Pure gold can have a specific
gravity as high as 19.3!
Calcite is calcium carbonate,
CaCO3. If a drop of weak
hydrochloric acid is placed on
calcite, the acid bubbles as
carbon dioxide is released.
Magnetic
Malleabl
e
Radioacti
ve
Flourescence
Taste
Minerals that can be hammered
thin or shaped are said to show
these properties.
Can you think of a mineral that
might be shaped or
hammered?
Gold would be a perfect
example!
Some minerals
that contain
Iron, are
magnetic and
can be picked
up by a
This is the state
of glowing while
under a
ultraviolet light.
Some minerals
even glow once
the light is
Some minerals,
such as this
uraninite, are
radioactive.
They give off
subatomic
particles that
will activate a

Minerals

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So what is a mineral?

What are the

How many of the

Why isn’t color a very good

There are four common

Of the four common minerals,

Does this mineral show

Of the four most common

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