Name: _______________________________________ Date: ____________ Hour: _________
Ch. 1 Minerals
Section 1 Minerals p. 8-12
A. _________________—four characteristics
1. ___________________ occurring—formed by processes on or inside Earth with no input from humans
2. ___________________—not made by life processes
3. Element or compound with a definite chemical _____________________
4. Orderly arrangement of __________________; all minerals are ____________________ solids.
B._________________—solid with atoms arranged in orderly, repeating patterns
1. Some crystals form from _________________, hot melted rock below the Earth’s surface.
a. When magma cools ________________, crystals are large.
b. When magma cools _________________, crystals are small.
2. Crystals can form from ___________________ as water evaporates or if too much of a substance is dissolved
in water.
C. Mineral groups are defined by their _____________________.
1. Silicates contain _________________, oxygen, and one or more other elements; they include most common
rock-forming minerals.
2. Silicon and oxygen are the two most __________________ elements in Earth’s crust; they form the building
blocks of many minerals.
Review Questions:
1. What are the four characteristics of a mineral? Is the material still a mineral if one of the four characteristic are
missing?
2. What are the two ways a mineral can form?
Section 2 Mineral Identification p. 14-18
A. _________________ and ____________________ are not enough to distinguish most minerals.
B. Hardness is a measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched; the ________________ scale compares mineral
hardness.
C. The way a mineral reflects _______________ is its luster.
1. Can be __________________ or nonmetallic
2. Nonmetallic lusters include dull, pearly, silky, and ________________.
D. Specific _________________ is the ratio of a mineral’s weight to the weight of an equal volume of water; expressed as
a number.
E. ________________ is the color of a mineral in powdered form; but the streak test is useful only for minerals softer
than the streak plate.
F. The way a mineral __________________ can be a distinguishing characteristic.
1. Minerals with ____________________ break along smooth, flat surfaces.
2. Minerals with ____________________ break with uneven, rough, or jagged surfaces.
G. Some minerals have unique properties that involve _________________ or magnetism.
Minerals can be identified by the following properties, describe each of them:
1. Hardness- ________________________________________________________________________________
2. Crystal Shape- ____________________________________________________________________________
3. Luster-___________________________________________________________________________________
a. Metallic-____________________________________________________________________________
b. Nonmetallic- _______________________________________________________________________
4. Color- ___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Streak- __________________________________________________________________________________
Review Questions
1. Why is the streak of the mineral often more useful than the color of the mineral?
2. What is the mohs hardness scale?
Directions: Use the following terms to complete the sentences below.
Magma
luster
crystal
streak
cleavage
hardness
minerals
gem
specific gravity
ore
silicates
fracture
1. Halite, diamond, and graphite are examples of ____________________.
2. A(n) ____________________ is a solid in which the atoms are arranged in repeating patterns.
3. Minerals that contain silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) are called ____________________.
4. One of the properties of minerals is ____________________, which measures how easily a mineral can be scratched.
5. ____________________ refers to the color left behind when a mineral is rubbed across an unglazed porcelain plate.
6. ____________________ describes how light reflects from a mineral’s surface.
7. Amethyst is the ____________________ form of quartz.
8. Minerals that break along smooth, flat surfaces have ____________________.
9. Some crystals are formed from hot melted rock called ____________________.
10. Minerals that break with an uneven, rough, or jagged surface have ____________________.
11. Gold’s ____________________ is 17, meaning that it is 17 times heavier than an equal volume of water.
12. Iron is obtained from its ____________________, hematite.