Identifying Minerals

• Minerals can be identified by looking at their physical properties including: color, luster, streak, cleavage or fracture, and hardness

Color

• Minerals can come in a variety of colors• Colors can be influenced by impurities• Not the best way to identify minerals

Luster

• The way a surface reflects light• Minerals can have metallic luster, shiny• Minerals can have nonmetallic luster, dull

Streak

• Color of a mineral in powdered form• Less impurities so it is a better way to

identify a mineral

Cleavage and Fracture

• Cleavage – Tendency to break along smooth, flat surfaces

• Fracture – Tendency to break along unevenly curved or irregular surfaces

Hardness

• Resistance to being scratched• Minerals are rated 1 to 10• 10 is the hardest and 1 is the softest