Properties of Minerals Stations
By Elizabeth Kocher
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Last updated about 1 year ago
27 Questions
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Question 1
1.
What forms can minerals be in?
What forms can minerals be in?
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Question 2
2.
What does a substance need to be considered a mineral?
What does a substance need to be considered a mineral?
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Question 3
3.
Which tool is commonly used to test the hardness of a mineral?
Which tool is commonly used to test the hardness of a mineral?
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Question 4
4.
What is hardness in terms of minerals?
What is hardness in terms of minerals?
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Minerals, the building blocks of rocks, possess unique properties that scientists use to identify them. Some of these key properties include luster, hardness, streak, color, and cleavage. These properties can be determined through simple tests. For instance, the Mohs scale test rates a mineral's hardness by its ability to scratch others. While the streak test involves rubbing a mineral against a piece of unglazed porcelain to observe the color of its dust. Through these tests, scientists are not only able to identify minerals but also discover more about our Earth's crust.
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Question 5
5.
What is the hardness of a mineral determined by?
What is the hardness of a mineral determined by?
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Question 6
6.
What test uses a porcelain plate to determine the color of a mineral?
What test uses a porcelain plate to determine the color of a mineral?
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Question 7
7.
Which property of a mineral reflects the way light interacts with its surface?
Which property of a mineral reflects the way light interacts with its surface?
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Question 8
8.
Which of the following is not one of the physical properties of minerals?
Which of the following is not one of the physical properties of minerals?
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You will examine 5 of the properties of minerals: cleavage/fracture, streak, color, luster, and hardness. Density is also a property that we have examined.
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Question 9
9.
What are the colors of the minerals streak?
What are the colors of the minerals streak?
List the colors you see of each mineral
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Question 10
10.
Quartz (colorless)
Quartz (colorless)
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Question 11
11.
Milky Quartz
Milky Quartz
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Question 12
12.
Smoky quartz
Smoky quartz
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Question 13
13.
Amethyst
Amethyst
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Question 14
14.
Citrine
Citrine
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Question 15
15.
Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz
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Question 16
16.
What do you notice about the different ways minerals can break? Note your observations.
What do you notice about the different ways minerals can break? Note your observations.
Mohs Hardness Scale is a significant tool in geology that measures a mineral's hardness or resistance to being scratched. It's a scale from 1 to 10. Number 1 represents the softest mineral, Talc, while Diamond, the hardest substance found in nature, stands at number 10. On this scale, the mineral can scratch anything below it.
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Question 17
17.
Can diamond scratch talc?
Can diamond scratch talc?
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Question 18
18.
Can diamond scratch quartz?
Can diamond scratch quartz?
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Question 19
19.
Can apatite scratch quartz?
Can apatite scratch quartz?
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Question 20
20.
Can quartz scratch topaz?
Can quartz scratch topaz?
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Question 21
21.
Can talc scratch diamond?
Can talc scratch diamond?
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Question 22
22.
Can corundum scratch gypsum?
Can corundum scratch gypsum?
Luster is how a mineral reflects light. Generally, a mineral can be classified as metallic or nonmetallic. Metallic refers to a mineral with high reflectivity and high shine. Nonmetallic has low reflectivity and low shine.
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Question 23
23.
Is gold metallic or nonmetallic?
Is gold metallic or nonmetallic?
Assess
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Question 24
24.
What property of minerals is determined by its resistance to being scratched?
What property of minerals is determined by its resistance to being scratched?
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Question 25
25.
What does luster refer to in the context of mineral properties?
What does luster refer to in the context of mineral properties?
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Question 26
26.
How is a mineral's cleavage determined?
How is a mineral's cleavage determined?
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Question 27
27.
What does the property of streak test in minerals?
What does the property of streak test in minerals?
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