DAJB+4.1


 * toc**

=**Vocabulary**=


 * Inorganic:** Can not grow from materials that were once part of a living thing.


 * crystal:** Has flat sides that meets at edges or corners.


 * element:** A substance with a single kind of atom.


 * compound:** Two or more elements are combined so that the elements no longer have obvious property.


 * Mohs hardness scale:** The scale that ranks ten minerals from softest to hardest used to identify minerals by hardness.


 * Streak:** The color of it's dust when its scratched.


 * Luster:** How a mineral reflects light on its surface.


 * cleavage:** How the atoms in the crystal are arranged.


 * fracture:** How a rock looks when it breaks.


 * fluorescence:** Minerals that glow under ultraviolet light.

Outline

 * ==What is a mineral==


 * Natural occurring -not made by people
 * Inorganic -never alive or part of something alive
 * Solid -particles are tightly packed
 * Crystal structure -sometimes visible, sometimes microscopic
 * Definite chemical composition -a specific mineral always contains the same elements in the same proportions


 * ==Identifying minerals==
 * every sample of a particular mineral has the same characteristics


 * Hardness -harder minerals scratch softer minerals
 * Color -not all minerals are always the same color
 * Streak - the streak of a mineral is always the same even if its color isn't
 * Luster - for example: shiny, glassy, earthy, waxy, or pearly
 * Density- mass (weight) divided by volume
 * Crystal systems -broken into six groups: cubic, hexagonal, tetragonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic
 * Cleavage and fracture - how does the mineral break?
 * Special properties - for example: fluorescence or magnetism