Identifying Minerals by their Properties

Color:
Its a physical property that alone doesn't provide enough information to make an identification .

Streak:
The color of the mineral may change but the streak doesn't. You use a porcelain tile to rub the mineral against it and produce streak.

Luster:
It is the team used to describe how light is reflected from a mineral's surface. There are many types of them such as:

• earthy


• waxy


• pearly


• glassy


• metallic


• greasy


• dull/sub metallic


• silky

Density:

• mass over volume


• doesn't depend on the size of the mineral


• 1 centimeter squared


• use a balance (mass) and a graduated cylinder (volume)


• the mass unit is grams(g.) and the volume unit is centimeters or millimeters(cm. or mm.)

Hardness: The ability of a mineral to resist being scratched goes from 1(talk) up to 10(diamond)

Crystal systems: The crystals of each mineral grow atom by atom from the mineral's crystal structure. The crystal system is given by the number of sides and angles in a given crystal.