Vocabulary Unit 5 – Minerals
1. mineral - a naturally occurring inorganic solid, with a definite chemical composition
2. element - A substance that has atoms of only one thing; it cannot be broken down simpler
3. native element - are elements that occur in nature in their pure form, not as compounds.
Gold and silver are examples
4. nonrenewable resource -any natural resource in limited supply and cannot be replaced if
it is used up; examples - oil and coal
5. pressure - the continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in
contact with it
6. organic – made from living matter or related to living matter
7. inorganic – not made from living matter; not related to living matter
8. structure - construct or arrange according to a plan; give a pattern or organization to
9. luster - the description of the way a mineral’s surface looks when light reflects off of the
surface – metallic and nonmetallic
10. cleavage - the tendency of minerals to break along flat surfaces
11. fracture - the tendency of a mineral to break in an uneven manner
12. streak - color of the powder that a mineral leaves on a piece of white, unglazed porcelain
13. carbonate - minerals that contain both carbon and oxygen
14. silicate - minerals that contain combinations of silicon and oxygen in their chemical
structure
Vocabulary Unit 5 – Minerals
1. mineral - a naturally occurring inorganic solid, with a definite chemical composition
2. element - A substance that has atoms of only one thing; it cannot be broken down simpler
3. native element - are elements that occur in nature in their pure form, not as compounds.
Gold and silver are examples
4. nonrenewable resource -any natural resource in limited supply and cannot be replaced if
it is used up; examples - oil and coal
5. pressure - the continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in
contact with it
6. organic – made from living matter or related to living matter
7. inorganic – not made from living matter; not related to living matter
8. structure - construct or arrange according to a plan; give a pattern or organization to
9. luster - the description of the way a mineral’s surface looks when light reflects off of the
surface – metallic and nonmetallic
10. cleavage - the tendency of minerals to break along flat surfaces
11. fracture - the tendency of a mineral to break in an uneven manner
12. streak - color of the powder that a mineral leaves on a piece of white, unglazed porcelain
13. carbonate - minerals that contain both carbon and oxygen
14. silicate - minerals that contain combinations of silicon and oxygen in their chemical
structure