Name:______________________________________________Date:___________ Pd:_______
Tapp P.R.I.D.E
Mineral Study Guide
Questions
Answers
1.What is a mineral?
A mineral is a naturally formed inorganic solid that has a fixed chemical
composition and a definite crystalline structure.
2. Explain the Characteristics
of a mineral.
Crystal Structure- the arrangement of the atoms within mineral
Fixed Chemical Composition -minerals of made of element(s)
Inorganic- minerals are not made from living or once living things
Naturally occurring – minerals are formed in nature they ARE NOT
man- made
Solid- minerals have a definite shape and volume- CAN NOT BE
liquids or gases
3. Explain the Mohs Hardness
Scale.
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5. Explain why color is not a
good (reliable) way to identify
a mineral.
6. The color of the powder of a
mineral. This is the true color
of the mineral. Describe the
purpose of a streak plate.
7. A mineral’s resistance to
being scratched…..
Mohs Hardness Scale is used to determine a mineral’s hardness
Talc is the softest mineral on the Scale- hardness of 1
Diamond is the hardest mineral on the scale-hardness of 10
A scratch test is done to determine a mineral’s hardness
Factors such as weathering and the inclusion of impurities can affect the
mineral’s color
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The color of the mineral’s powder is called streak
The mineral streak is the true color of the mineral
Hardness
8. Define luster
Give examples of the types of
luster
Luster is the way in which a mineral reflects light
Types of luster: metallic (Shiny), submetallic, nonmetallic (dull)
9. Is the tendency of some
minerals to break along
smooth, flat surfaces- The
minerals halite and calcite has
this property.
10. Describe Fracture..
The mineral quartz has this
property.
11. Is the ratio of an object
mass to its volume. (the
measure of the amount of
matter is in a given volume
Cleavage
12. What are special
properties? Describe some of
the special properties of
minerals.
Is the tendency of some minerals to break unevenly and have a rough surface
after being broken
Density
D= M/V
If an object has a density greater than water it will sink, if the density is less
than water it will float
The properties are particular to only a few minerals (NOT ALL MINERALS
HAVE SPECIAL PROPERTIES!)
Ex. Taste, magnetism, chemical reaction, radioactivity, optical properties,
florescence
13. The appearance of a
mineral that can vary according
to the impurities in that
mineral as well as other factors
such as air and water
Color
14. What determines which
groups of minerals will be
classified as silicate or
nonsilicate.
15. Describe silicate minerals.
Their chemical composition
16. Describe nonsilicate
minerals. Name and describe
Minerals that do not contain a combination of the elements silicon and oxygen
Silicate minerals make up a 90% of the Earth’s Crust
Silicate minerals contain a combination of both Silicon (Si) and Oxyge( O )
Examples- Quartz (SiO2) , Mica, and Feldspar
the nonsilicate mineral classes.
17. What are mineral crystals?
18. Why are gemstone
considered valuable?
Native Elements
Carbonates
Halides
Oxides
Sulfate
Sulfides
Solid, geometric forms of minerals produced by a repeating pattern of atoms or
molecules that are present throughout the mineral
Nonmetallic mineral that are highly valued for their beauty and rarity
Ex. Diamond, ruby, topaz. Sapphire, emeralds