Properties of MineralsA mineral that breaks apart in flat planes has cleavage. A mineral that breaks unevenly along irregular surfaces has fracture. There are several different types of fracture.Mineral PropertiesMineral Propertiescolorstreaklusterspecic gravityhardnesscrystalsystemcleavage/fracturespecialpropertiesspecialpropertiescleavagefracturecrystalsystemhardnesscolorstreaklusterspecic gravity© Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4653Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources.micacleavagequartzfracturePhysical PropertiesMinerals are identified by their physical properties. There are a number of properties that can be tested, such as hardness and streak color. An unknown mineral can be identified by its physical properties. A mineral's hardness is determined by comparing it to the minerals in the Mohs Hardness Scale. 22-33gypsumhalitecalciteThe color of a mineral is easy to see but is not always the best way to identify it. Many minerals are the same color, and some minerals can change color if they are exposed to different conditions, like air or water. Streak is the color of a mineral when it is crushed to a powder. If you rub a mineral across a piece of unglazed porcelain, a streak is seen. Minerals harder than a 7 on the Mohs Hardness Scale do not leave a streak.Luster is a description of how light reflects off of a mineral. Some of the luster descriptions are metallic, glassy, greasy and dull.silvermetallicglassygreasydullquartzsulfurbariteLusterdensity = massvolumemassvolumedisplacedSpecific gravity is a measure of a mineral's density. Density is determined by comparing the mass of a mineral to the mass of an equal volume of water. Volume is measured by dropping a mineral sample in water and looking at the amount of displacement. A scale is used to measure mass.streak colorstreak platefluorite - color varies
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