Rock/Mineral Lab
Name ______________________________
Period 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Due Date _________
_____/100 Points
Materials: Mineral and rock sample kit, hand lens, streak plate, penny, magnet, nail
or push pin, flashlight or lamp.
Directions: Complete the chart using your samples. Follow all procedures as listed.
Avoid opinion words.
Properties of Minerals
Observe the Minerals with and without a hand lens.
Sample
List the
number &
name of
your mineral
sample
Color
Observe the
object with and
without a hand
lens. Be
specific with
your color
choice (melted
chocolate chip
brown)
A
B
C
D
E
Adapted from NMcDevitt 2010
Luster
Describe how
sample reflects
light. Take it to
light. (shines
like glass,
transparent like
classroom
windows, dull,
translucent…)
Streak
Hardness
Magnetic
Other
Scratch the
sample across
a clean area of
the streak
plate. Note
color (if any)
plus any other
properties.
Scratch the
rock or mineral
with each of
the tools and
each of the
other
samples.
Make a plan to
check each.
List your
observations.
Rate the level of
magnetism from
not magnetic to
very magnetic.
(0) is not
magnetic and
(5 ) is strongly
magnetic.
Identify any
other unique
properties for
your sample:
fluorescence;
radioactivity;
reaction to acid;
electrical
properties.
Properties of Rocks
Observe the Rocks with and without a hand lens.
Sample
Color
Texture
List the
number &
name of
your rock
sample
Observe the
sample with and
without a hand
lens. Be specific
with your color
choice (melted
chocolate chip
brown)
Describe the rock’s grains
(size [fine/coarse], shape
[smooth/jagged], pattern
[banded/nonbanded] or no
visible grain). Is it
glassy/dull, smooth/rough,
chalky
A
B
C
D
E
Adapted from NMcDevitt 2010
Mineral
Composition
Use a hand
lens. Look for
mineral crystals
and tests from
the mineral
properties chart
to help ID the
minerals in your
rock sample.
Origin
Other
Observe your
sample to
determine its
origin: igneous;
sedimentary;
or
metamorphic.
List any other
unique properties
that you observe
about your
sample.
Weakest
Directions: Discuss then answer the
following questions based on your
observations. You do not have to agree
with your team but be prepared to defend
your choices with evidence.
Rank order the samples you tested that are
magnetic from weakest to strongest. Do not
list nonmagnetic ones.
The Mohs Hardness Scale does not use mass but
determines how hard a rock or mineral is. Frederick
Mohs (1773-1839) developed this chart to compare the
hardness of ten easily accessible minerals. He
introduced the term scratch hardness and set up a
comparison scale using ten minerals of different
degrees of hardness The hardness of a material
measures how tightly the atoms are held together within
it. This test is done by scratching one substance with
another. Diamond is ranked 10 and graphite is ranked
between 1 and 2. Diamond is about 40 times harder
than graphite. All gemstones known to us today are
allocated to Mohs hardness scale. The comparison
chart begins with talc which is 1 on the Mohs Scale and
is the softest of the 10 gemstones. The hardness scale
helps identify rocks and minerals, and is valuable to
both makers and wearers of jewelry.
a) _____________________
b) _____________________
Softest
c)
_________________________
d)
_________________________
1. After you finish all tests, order the
samples for hardness from softest to
hardest: Write original number and name
(if known).
a) _____________________
b) _____________________
c)
_________________________
d)
_________________________
e)
_________________________
A mineral's streak is the color it has when
ground to a powder. When you scratch it on
the plate, you are grinding it. Some
minerals have many colors but have the
same streak. So streak is considered a
more stable indicator. Most minerals have a
white streak. There are a few well-known
minerals for which the streak is an
important property. Streak plates have a
Mohs hardness of 7. (Check your streak
plate against a piece of quartz, hardness 7,
because some are softer and some
harder.) Mineral streaks can usually be
wiped off easily with a fingertip.
f)
_________________________
g)
_________________________
h)
_________________________
i)
_________________________
j)
_________________________
2. Describe the major problems determining the
color or colors of samples?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
4. Select one sample and describe color
differences that became noticeable with and
without the hand lens.
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
5. Did you discover any evidence from your tests that
shows that luster (the way light is reflected) is
connected or not connected to hardness? What
evidence led to that conclusion?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Table to right is taken from:
http://www.realgems.org/pic/mohs%20en.jpg