Rocks and Minerals Test Review Sheet
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid that has
a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure.
The SEVEN properties/characteristics used to identify
minerals are (briefly describe each):
To be a mineral, a substance must be:
1. color – the physical appearance of the mineral
1. naturally occurring – not man made
2. luster – the way the mineral reflects light (metallic,
submetallic, nonmetallic)
2. inorganic – not make of living things (plants and
animals)
3. streak – the color of the powder of a mineral when
rubbed against a piece of tile
3. solid – a mineral cannot be a gas or liquid
4. crystalline structure – has a repeating inner structure
Examples of minerals:
Fluorite
Quartz
Gold
Copper
Diamond
Hematite
4. fracture – the manner in which a mineral breaks along
either curved or irregular surfaces
5. cleavage – the splitting of a mineral along smooth, flat
surfaces
Calcite
Feldspar
Mica
Gypsum
Galena
Topaz
6. hardness– a measure of the ability of a mineral to resist
scratching
7. density – the ratio of the mass of a substance to the
volume of the substance
Answer the following questions using the diagram below:
How do sediments become a sedimentary rock?
Rocks are weathered and eroded over time to become sediments. Over thousands of years, sediments have been
compacted and cemented together to form sedimentary rock.
How does a metamorphic rock become an igneous rock?
A metamorphic rock can become an igneous rock by melting into magma underneath the earth’s crust and cooled to
form an igneous rock.
Describe two ways in which an igneous rock can become a metamorphic rock.
Way 1: An igneous rock can be weathered and eroded into sediments. Then the sediments are compacted and
cemented together to form and sedimentary rock. Finally, the sedimentary rock undergoes a tremendous amount of
heat and pressure deep within earth to form a metamorphic rock.
Way 2: An intrusive igneous rock is exposed to heat and pressure under the earth’s crust and becomes a metamorphic
rock.
How does magma become sediments?
Extrusive igneous rocks are weathered and eroded into sediments.
What happens when an igneous rock is exposed to heat and pressure?
An igneous rock exposed to heat and pressure becomes an metamorphic rock.
Extra:
The process of weathering and erosion creates what? Sediments
How does an igneous rock become a sedimentary rock?
An extrusive igneous rock is weathered and eroded into sediments. The sediments are compacted and cemented
together to form a sedimentary rock.
When a rock is exposed to heat and pressure, what type of rock is formed? Metamorphic