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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
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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!