5.3 Properties of Minerals Practice

Master mineral properties: hardness, luster, streak, and cleavage! Practice identification with our science worksheet.

Mineral Properties Match the mineral properties and definitions streak color of a mineral's powder hardness how hard a mineral is (remember that harder minerals scratch softer minerals) luster how a mineral reflects light a mineral looks like metal (metallic) or not (non-metallic) cleavage when a mineral breaks along a flat surface fracture when a mineral breaks on an uneven surface Hardness Harder minerals always scratch softer minerals. The streak test that is used to identify minerals involves studying the — mineral’s crystals with a microscope heated mineral’s color as it cools appearance of the mineral under fluorescent light color of the powdered form of the mineral Feldspar can be scratched by - calcite gypsum apatite topaz The color of a mineral may change, but the color of a mineral's powder (its streak) will always be the same. True False Luster Minerals with a metallic luster are shiny and look like metal. Non-metallic minerals are dull and do not look like metal. Fluorite can scratch - apatite, diamond, quartz gypsum, calcite and talc diamond, corundum and topaz feldspar, apatite and quartz Minerals that scratch glass have a hardness of _ or greater. 2.5 3.5 5.5 6.5 Cleavage and Fracture Minerals that break along a flat plane of weakness have cleavage. Some minerals have cleavage is one direction, while others have cleavage in many directions. Fracture is when a mineral just breaks creating an uneven surface. Conchoidal fracture is a special type found in obsidian and quartz that makes curved lines. Minerals cannotbe identified by which two properties? (choose 2!) streak mass hardness color Topaz cannot scratch - corundum talc gypsum quartz The mineral in the above table that has a blue color and will scratch garnet is — pyrite topaz garnet magnetite Which of these mineral properties cannot be used to identify a mineral? mass luster hardness streak Identify Minerals The table below shows a list of different minerals and their physical properties. Read the descriptions of three unknown minerals and use the table to identify the unknown minerals. Remember, spelling counts! Sample Description Mineral Name #1 The mineral is white in colorA soft mineral, hardness about 1Dull, not shinyBreaks along smooth edges (cleavage) talc #2 The mineral is light pink in colorThe hardness of the mineral is about 6Nonmetallic lusterHas smooth flat edges (cleavage) potassium feldspar #3 The mineral is silver in colorShiny (metallic)Hardness is about 6 to a 6.5Has rough edges (fracture) magnetite Feldspar is a mineral that produces a distinct break. This break is called - luster color a fracture a cleavage The diagram below shows the crystal shape of two minerals.Quartz and halite have different crystal shapes primarily because - light reflects from crystal surfaces energy is released during crystallization of impurities that produce surface variations of the internal arrangement of the atoms The diagram below shows the index minerals of Mohs Hardness Scale compared with the hardness of some common objects. Which statement is best supported by the diagram? Calcite will be scratched by a copper penny. A fingernail will scratch calcite but not gypsum. The mineral apatite will scratch topaz. A steel file has a hardness of about 7.5.