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Mastering Mineral Identification: Learn to Distinguish Unique Properties

Dive into the world of minerals and how to identify them based on their physical properties such as density, hardness, color, streak, luster, and cleavage. Discover the importance of these characteristics in distinguishing one mineral from another and learn about the Mohs Scale of Hardness. Explore how minerals reflect light and break to aid in their identification process. Challenge yourself to identify minerals using different methods. Expand your knowledge to become an expert in mineral identification.

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Mastering Mineral Identification: Learn to Distinguish Unique Properties

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  1. AIM: Sample • Do now: • 1. What is a mineral? • 2. If you put different types of mineral, what are you creating?

  2. AIM: How do we identify minerals? • Do now: What do you know about minerals? Where do you use minerals? Let’s say you found a mysterious mineral. How would you find out what the mineral is?

  3. Mineral Identification • Every mineral has a unique set of physical properties, or characteristics. • These properties are used to identify minerals

  4. Mineral Identification • Density • Hardness • Color • Streak • Luster • Cleavage

  5. Mineral Identification • 1. Density • The heavier mineral has a higher density. It very high or a very low density can help identify a mineral

  6. Mineral Identification • 2. Hardness • Scientists measure the hardness of a mineral by observing how easily it is scratched or how easily it scratches something else.

  7. Mineral Identification • 2. Hardness • The Mohs Scale of Hardness ranks how hard minerals are. • The softest mineral is talc. • The hardest mineral is diamond.

  8. Mineral Identification • The softest mineral is talc. • The hardest mineral is diamond.

  9. Mineral Identification • 3. Color • Some minerals can be identified by their unique color.

  10. Different minerals might present the same color. How would you tell one from the other?

  11. Mineral Identification • 3. Color • The colors of most minerals vary so it is hard to identify minerals just by observing its color

  12. Mineral Identification • 4. Streak • The color of a mineral’s powder is called its streak. • You can observe streak by scratching the mineral across a streak plate. • Sometimes, the color of a mineral and the color of its streak are different.

  13. Mineral Identification • 5. Luster • Minerals reflect light in different ways. • Luster describes the way that a mineral’s surface reflects light. • Some terms used to describe mineral luster are metallic, glassy, earthy, or pearly.

  14. Mineral Identification • 6. Cleavage • Sometimes the way a mineral breaks helps identify it. • Minerals break in two ways. If a mineral breaks along smooth, flat surfaces, it displays cleavage.

  15. 6. Cleavage • A mineral that breaks along rough or irregular surfaces displays fracture. • A mineral can break along a single cleavage direction or along several directions.

  16. Mineral Identification

  17. Mineral Identification • Can you name any two ways to identify minerals?

  18. Mineral Identification

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