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Mineral Identification

Using Properties

To Tell Them Apart

This is the title for page 10R in your INBThen write the sentence on your first line

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PropertiesEach mineral has its own properties that can be

used to identify it.

• Hardness

• Color

• Streak

• Luster

• Density

• Cleavage and Fracture

• Chemical activity

• Special properties

Just Read—Do Not Write

©Mesquite ISD 20093

Properties• Hardness

– Minerals can scratch any mineral softer then itself and can only be scratched by that of a mineral harder than it.

– Moh’s scale of hardness ranks minerals from 1 to 10. 10 = hardest

• Color– Can only be used to identify those minerals that

have their own characteristic color.

Write All

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Properties• Streak

– Created when a mineral is rubbed against a hard rough tile that causes it to leave a powder behind

– Different minerals leave different color streaks

– The color of the mineral does not always match its streak

• Luster– Term used to describe how a mineral reflects light from

its surface

– Terms to describe luster are glassy, earthy, waxy and pearly, metalic

Write All

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Properties• Density

– Density is the mass of a sample divided by its volume.

– In mineral identification density is also called specific gravity.

• Crystal shape– Crystals grow atom by atom.

– There are six crystal shapes.

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Properties• Cleavage and Fracture

– Cleavage is when a mineral splits along flat surfaces.

– Fracture is when the mineral does not split evenly but forms a rough surface.

Write All

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Quartz• Crystal • Cleavage

Do Nothing

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Halite• Crystal Shape • Cleavage shape

Do Nothing

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Properties• Chemical activity

– Some minerals react to acid. Mostly the carbonate minerals.

Write All

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Reacting to AcidDo Nothing

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Properties• Special properties

– Some minerals glow under ultraviolet light

– Some minerals give off radiation

– Some minerals even have electric properties

– A few minerals are attracted to magnets

Just Read—Do not Write

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Under Natural Light

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Under UV light

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Left Hand Side of INBPg 10L

• Divide the page into 4 equal sections—Windows

• Title the page Pictures of Properties

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Left Hand Side of INBPg 10L

• Labeling sections:– Streak

– Cleavage

– Fracture

– Chemical Activity

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Left Hand Side of INBPg 10L

• Streak– Draw the picture below

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Left Hand Side of INBPg 10L

• Cleavage– Draw the picture below

BEFORE AFTER

SMOOTH BREAKS

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Left Hand Side of INBPg 10L

• Fracture– Draw the picture below

BEFORE AFTER

ROUGH BREAK

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Left Hand Side of INBPg 10L

• Chemical Activity– Draw the picture below

ACID

BUBBLES & FOAM

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YOU ARE FINISHED

• Now if there is time left over—You may EXPLORE around and CREATE in Comic Life only! – There’s a way for you to take pictures on

there—have fun!