Minerals and Mineral Identification By Mr. King

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Minerals and Mineral IdentificationBy Mr. King
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What is a mineral?

• Inorganic
• Naturally occurring
• Crystalline structure
• Chemical composition
• Distinct physical properties

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Mineral properties

• Color
• Luster
• Habit (Shape)
• Cleavage Fracture
• Streak
• Hardness
• Other

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Color

• Not mineral specific

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Luster

• How minerals reflect light

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Mineral Habit (Shape)

• Shape a mineral takes if grown unimpeded

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Cleavage

• Cleavage is the breakage along planes that cut
  across weak bonds, thus cleavage in controlled by
  the minerals atomic structure
• EG rhombohedral calcite

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Fracture

• Fractures occur in minerals whose bond strengths
  are the same in all directions thus breakage
  doesnt follow a crystallographic direction, but
  follows an irregular surface.
• EG conchodial fracture in quartz

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Cleavage
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• There is a visual difference between the cleavage
  and fracture in a mineral ... Just wait

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Streak

• The powdered form of a mineral

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Other Properties

• Specific gravity
• Reaction to acid
• Striations
• Magnetism
• Fluorescence

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