Answer these questions based on the minerals presentation and or
the web.
1.
2.
3.
4.
How many minerals are found in the earth’s crust?
What element is most abundant in the Earth’s crust?
What property causes the mineral galena to break into tiny cubes?
A student rubs a mineral across an unglazed porcelain tile. What mineral
property is the student testing?
5. A mineral has a mass of 100 grams and displaces a volume of 50 cm3.
What is the density of the mineral?
6. Dull, silky, waxy, and pearly are descriptive terms that best describe what
property of minerals?
7. A student finds a rock on a field trip. The teacher identifies it as coal and
states it once came from giant ferns. Is this a mineral? If so, why? If not,
why?
8. What would you use the Mohs scale for?
9. Why are some minerals attracted to magnets? Please provide the term
that describes these minerals.
10. Sapphires and rubies are both forms of the mineral corundum, but they
have different colors. Why?
11. What is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust?
12.