Mohs Hardness Scale

Learn mineral hardness with the Mohs Scale! Practice identifying, comparing, and testing minerals.

Use the Mohs Hardness Scale to answer the questions. What is the hardness of a diamond? 10 5 2 9 What is the hardness of talc? 10 5 9 1 Which is the harder mineral: quartz or apatite? quartz apatite Anita is examining two minerals. She is holding topaz and fluorite. The topaz scratches the fluorite. Which is the softer mineral? topaz flourite Mineral Riddle:I can scratch topaz, but can NOT scratch a diamond. What mineral am I? corundum feldspar calcite diamond Mineral Riddle:I can scratch talc. Every other mineral except talc can scratch me. What mineral am I? gypsum apatite feldspar diamond Click on the blank and pick the correct word in each sentence. Use the paragraphs at the top of the page to answer. The hardness of a mineral is a measure of how easily that mineral can be scratched. You can test this property by using different objects, such as a fingernail, a penny, or a steel nail to scratch the mineral.Another way to test hardness is to compare a mineral to the minerals listed on the Mohs scale of hardness. Talc is the softest and is listed with a hardness of 1. A diamond is number 10 and is the hardest mineral. What is the hardness range of a mineral that cannot be scratched by a fingernail and cannot scratch glass? 2.5-5.5 <2.5 >5.5 What could be the possible hardness of a mineral that can be scratched by a copper penny but at same mineral can scratch your fingernail? 10 6.4 3.1 1.5 What could be the possible hardness of a mineral that can scratch glass, but not a diamond? 2.4 3.2 4.5 7.6 Calcite can scratch feldspar quartz apatite gypsum Apatite can scratch calcite quartz topaz corundum Topaz can scratch diamond corundum quartz Fluorite can scratch apatite corundum quartz talc, gypsum, and calcite