Mineral: A naturally occurring, inorganic solid substance with a fixed chemical composition and crystal
structure. Building blocks of rocks.
Crystalline structure : made of crystal; containing a repeating structure of atoms. Examples Cubic,
hexagonal and monoclinic (three dimensional parallelogram)
Luster: a description of a mineral based on how much light reflects off it.
Color: can be used to help identify the mineral. For example:
streak a line of finely powdered mineral of characteristic color left when the mineral is rubbed across
an unglazed porcelain tile.
Cleavage: the tendency of a mineral to split, when struck, along specific planes of the crystal structure
Fracture: breakage of a mineral, when struck, in a way that is not along cleavage planes of the crystal
structure. (broken unevenly)
Hardness: the ability of a mineral to resist being scratched on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being very soft and
ten being really hard.
chemical properties: properties of a substance relating to the chemical nature and reactivity of a
substance. Does it fizz?
Magnetic test: Does the mineral attract?