Mineral Review!
Answer the following as completely as possible so that you will have a useful study guide:
1. Give examples of qualitative and quantitative observations.
2. What are the four characteristics of all minerals?
3. How are minerals used?
4. What are the 2 major mineral groups?
5. What is the basis of those groups?
6. Define each of the following:
i. Luster
ii. Hardness
iii. Streak
iv. Cleavage
v. Fracture
vi. Fluorescence
vii. Heft
7. Next to each definition give an example of one or more minerals that have that property.
8. What are some special properties that you observed in the lab?
9. What is the Moh’s hardness scale?
10. What is the softest mineral? Hardest?
11. How do you test for hardness? What objects are used?
12. Explain how you identified minerals in the lab.
13. What is a gemstone? What is an ore? Give some examples of each.
Mineral Review!
Answer the following as completely as possible so that you will have a useful study guide:
1. Give examples of qualitative and quantitative observations.
2. What are the four characteristics of all minerals?
3. How are minerals used?
4. What are the 2 major mineral groups?
5. What is the basis of those groups?
6. Define each of the following:
i. Luster
ii. Hardness
iii. Streak
iv. Cleavage
v. Fracture
vi. Fluorescence
vii. Heft
7. Next to each definition give an example of one or more minerals that have that property.
8. What are some special properties that you observed in the lab?
9. What is the Moh’s hardness scale?
10. What is the softest mineral? Hardest?
11. How do you test for hardness? What objects are used?
12. Explain how you identified minerals in the lab.
13. What is a gemstone? What is an ore? Give some examples of each.
ANSWERS
1 Qualitative observation is describing the object’s physical properties. Example red, round, large
Quantitative observation is a measurement. Example 25 ml, 100 ft, 3 seconds
2 Inorganic, sold, natural, crystal structure (repeating chemical formula)
3 Copper is used for electrical wiring, gypsum is used for drywall, quartz is used to make glass, talc is used to make make-up.
4 Silicate and Nonsilicate
5 Silicates contain silicon and oxygen and nonsiloicates do not contain silicon and oxygen
6&7 i. How light reflects off a mineral - metallic: galena and nonmetallic: quartz
ii A mineral’s resistance to scratch – 1 talc and 10 diamond
iii the mineral’s powder, the true color of a mineral hematite: red-ish brown and gypsum: white
iv how a mineral breaks along smooth flat surfaces halite and galena: cubes
v how a mineral breaks along rough jagged surfaces talc and olivine –no flat surfaces
vi the ability for some minerals to glow under uv light fluorite
vii how heavy a mineral feels in comparison to its size galena: high heft and halite: low heft
8 smell, fizzing, taste, double image
9 A scale of how a mineral resists being scratched. Goes from 1 being the softest to 10 being the hardest.
10 1 talc and 10 diamond
11 fingernail 2.4
penny 3.5
steel nail 5.5
glass plate 6.5
12 First determine the sample’s luster. Second, determine the hardness. Third determine if the sample lacks or shows cleavage. That should narrow the choices down to 4 or 5 possibilities. Read the description of each mineral and determine which mineral the sample best matches with.
13 gemstones are valued for their beauty not their use an example is topaz. Ores contain minerals that have a high metal content an example is gold.