WARM UP 11-12-13

1.What are the 5 properties of a mineral?

2.What are two different types of tests you can do on a mineral to see what mineral it is?

ROCKS AND M

INERALS

MOH’S SCALE OF HARDNESSMoh’s Scale of Hardness was made by a man named Friedrich Moh. It measures to see how much a mineral can be scratched. It goes from talc to diamond.

TALC

• softest on Moh’s scale

• light to dark green, brown, white

• monoclinic or triclinic

• fractures in an uneven way

• Streak is white to pearl green

• its luster is pearly or wax-like

• can be used as talcum powder or baby powder.

GYPSUM

• number 2 on the scale of hardness

• colorless to white; may be yellow, tan, blue, pink, brown, reddish brown or gray due to impurities

• luster is vitreous to silky, pearly, or waxy

• streak is white

• prismatic

• can be used as drywall

CALCITE

• colorless or white, also gray, yellow, green

• conchoidal

• number 3 on the scale

• streak is white

• trigonal hexagon scalenohedral

• vitreous to pearly on cleavage surfaces

FLUORITE

• colorless, white, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, brown, bluish black; commonly zoned

• isometric

• subconchoidal to uneven

• vitreous

• number 4 on scale

• streak is white

APATITE

• transparent to translucent, usually green, less often colorless, yellow, blue to violet, pink, brown.

• hexagonal

• streak is white

• conchoidal to uneven

FELDSPAR

• pink, white, gray, brown

• vitreous

• streak is white

• is number 6 on the scale

• triclinic or monoclinic

QUARTZ

• from colorless to black, through various colors

• trigonal trapezohedral and hexagonal

• vitreous – waxy to dull when massive

• streak is white

• number 7 in scale

TOPAZ

• colorless (if no impurities), blue, brown, orange, gray, yellow, green, pink and reddish pink

• Orthorhombic

• vitreous

• streak is white

• number 8 on the scale

CORUNDUM

• colorless, gray, brown; pink to pigeon-blood-red, orange, yellow, green, blue to cornflower blue, violet; may be color zoned, asteriated mainly grey and brown

• trigonal

• number 9 on scale

• vitreous

• streak is white

DIAMOND!!!!

• typically yellow, brown or gray to colorless. Less often blue, green, black, translucent white, pink, violet, orange, purple and red.

• octahedral

• hardest mineral

• no color streak

• the only thing that can scratch diamond is diamond

• admantine