S olid Cannot be a liquid or a gas N aturally Occurring Found in nature, not man-made I norganic Is not alive and never was, non-living F ixed composition Has a chemical formula, most are formed from compounds of two or more elements, some minerals consist of one element ex. Au C rystal Form A definite structure in which atoms are arranged

A naturally formed, inorganic solid that has a definite crystalline structure.

Is it non-living material? Is it a solid? Is it formed in nature? Does it have a crystalline structure?

Wood

Gold

Fossil

Topaz

Bones

Granite

Quartz

Pearls

Talc

Icebergs

Diamond

Coal

Rock Salt

Minerals a) Gold b) Topaz c) Quartz d) Talc e) Iceberg* f) Diamonds Non-Minerals a) Wood - once living b) Fossils – once living c) Bone - living material d) Granite - intrusive igneous rock e) Pearls – made by oysters f) Coal - Sedimentary rock g) Rock Salt – Sedimentary rock According to IMA – ice is listed as a mineralIMA

4. Crystal structure – a pattern that repeats over and over with faces that meet at sharp edges and corners 5. Definite Chemical Composition – contains certain elements in definite proportions

1. Hardness – a mineral can scratch any mineral softer than itself but will be scratched by a mineral harder than itself a. Mohs Hardness Scale – ranks minerals from softest to hardest on a scale of one to ten. Talc is the softest known mineral, and diamond is the hardest known mineral.

2. Color – some minerals are always the same color (malachite is always green and azurite is always blue); most minerals come in a variety of colors

3. Streak – the color of a mineral’s powder; the color of a mineral’s streak does not change like the color of the mineral may

Streak is the color of a mineral powder. Many minerals appear a different color when powdered than they do as a big piece. The color may be entirely different, or it may be a different shade.

4. Luster – how a mineral reflects light from its surface; some ways to describe luster are shiny, earthy, metallic, waxy, and pearly

Copyright © Dr. Richard Busch Courtesy United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey Courtesy United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey Each reflects light differently – that is luster! Which of these words would you use to describe these minerals? Glassy, metallic, dull, silky, waxy, pearly

Waxy luster Glassy luster dull luster metallic luster Glassy luster

5. Density – all minerals have a characteristic density; no matter the size of the sample, its density will remain the same

How tightly packed the atoms are will make something heavy. Every mineral has its own density. These two items may have the same size – but do not weigh the same. Why?? Because the brick has atoms that are more tightly packed together than the styrofoam.

This means for equal size, they have their own special weight. Which one is worth more? How could you tell? The first one is topaz (worth a lot) and the second is citrine quartz (not worth a lot). A scientist would measure their densities and they would be different!

6. Crystal System – the crystal structures are divided into six groups a. Cubic b. Hexagonal c. Tetragonal d. Orthorhombic e. Monoclinic f. Triclinic

Copyright © Dr. Richard Busch

7. Cleavage and fracture – the way a mineral breaks apart helps us identify it a. Cleavage – splits apart along flat surface b. Fracture – breaks apart in an irregular way

Cleavage means it breaks the same way every time. Fracture means it breaks in a random pattern that cannot be predicted. Calcite and halite break a special way. donsmaps.com Quartz and chert break in a random pattern. There is not way to predict how they break.

8. Special Properties – some minerals are identified by their special properties a. Fluorescence – minerals that glow under ultraviolet light b. Magnetism c. Radioactive d. Chemically Reactive e. Electrical Properties

Magnetism Radioactivity Chemical Reaction Fluorescence Salty Taste But NEVER taste things in the lab! Double Image