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Properties of Minerals

 * minerals**- A mineral is a natural,inorganic substance with a crystal structure and chemical composition
 * inorganic**- not formed from living things
 * crystal**- A solids atoms that are packed in a pattern which repeats endlessly
 * element**- A material that is made up of a certain type of atom
 * compound**-two or more elements combined containing similar properties
 * Mohs Hardness Scale**- A scale that scores ten minerals from softest to hardest
 * streak**-reveals the color of mineral's powder
 * luster**-shows how different minerals reflect light from their surfaces
 * cleavage**- A certain characteristic that describes how brittle and weak a mineral is
 * fracture**-revealed when a mineral breaks in a strange
 * fluorescence**-minerals growing under ultra-violet light

What is a Mineral

 * more than 3000 minerals
 * Naturally Occurring
 * all minerals are naturally occurring
 * Inorganic
 * minerals must not be made from a living substance
 * Solid
 * minerals are solid
 * containing a specific volume and shape
 * solid keeps in shape since minerals can't flow
 * Crystal Structure
 * sometimes crystal structures are visible
 * others can only be seen under a microscope
 * Definite Chemical Composition
 * certain set of atoms to create a mineral
 * almost all minerals are compounds
 * each compound has its own properties

Identifying Minerals

 * each mineral has its own properties to identify itself
 * hardness
 * one of the best clues used for identifying minerals
 * Mohs Hardness scale
 * used to rank minerals on how hard they are
 * the softest is Talc,the hardest is diamond
 * Color
 * only a few minerals have its own color
 * other minerals can always come in several different colors,like quartz
 * streak
 * the color of the minerals powder when it is rubbed or scratched against a hard surface
 * the color of the mineral and its powder are often different
 * Luster
 * describes how a mineral shines light off of its surface
 * galena is an ore of lead with bright metallic luster
 * Malachite contains copper and has a silky luster
 * Density
 * each mineral has a its own density
 * geologists use balances to figure out the exact weight of each mineral
 * minerals are also placed in water to notice how much water it displaces
 * the volume water equals the volume of the sample
 * dividing sample's mass by its volume is the total density of the mineral
 * Crystal Systems
 * they are classified into six groups called crystal systems
 * sometimes a crystal structure has the same crystal structure of its mineral
 * Cleavage and Fracture
 * cleavage is a clue to help identify minerals
 * when a mineral splits easily it has the property of cleavage
 * it depends on the pattern of atoms in its crystals
 * a fracture shows how a mineral looks like when it breaks in a strange way
 * Special Properties
 * minerals can also be identified by several special properties
 * flourescence is an example of a special property
 * minerals that glow under ultra violet light have flourescence

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