Minerals Lab 1-22
From 1-22 Mineral Lab Notes
Terms
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- Vitreous
- luster of shiny glass, plastic, or porcelain. This is the most common of all lusters.
- Mineral
- Naturally occurring substance of uniform chemical composition, inorganic origin, and crystalline structure.
- Resinous
- the luster of natural or synthetic resins such as amber, rosin, epoxy, and tortoise shell
- Greasy
- the luster of grease.
- Conchoidal Fracture
- resembles broken glass or ice
- Metallic
- Having the luster of metal. Recognized by being highly reflective, opaque (light doesn't penetrate it) and silver, gray, or brassy yellow (golden) color.
- Earthy or Dull
- reflects relatively little light (it is not at all shiny)
- Mineral Physical Properties
- Distinctive traits that enable one to distinguish one mineral from another.
- Color
- The frequency of light reflected from a mineral.
- Fibrous fracture
- breaks into parallel fibers just as wood does. Minerals with this exhibit a type of luster similar to silk or satin.
- Submetallic
- the appearance of dulled or tarnished metal
- Hardness
- The relative resistance of a mineral to wear (how difficult it is to scratch). This is very useful, and easy to determine by using a set of reference minerals from the Mohs scale.
- Uneven frcture
- resembles broken dirt of rock
- Adamantine or Brilliant
- the luster of gems, such as diamonds.
- Pearly
- luster of the Mother of Pearl
- Nonmetallic
- Having a luster which is not like metal.
- Luster
- The way a mineral reflects light.
- Specific Gravity
- This is the same as density, which is the mass of an object divided by its volume. In other words how heavy something is compared to its size.
- Magnetism
- A very small number of minerals are naturally magnetic, which means that they will be attracted to a magnet.
- Streak
- The color of a mineral when it is rubbed on an unglazed porcelain tile
- Sily or Satiny
- exhibits highlights like hair, and is typical of fibrous minerals.
- Cleavage
- Breakage along flat surfaces in a preferred direction or directions.
- Waxy
- the luster of wax
- Fracture
- This is breakage that is not along flat surfaces.