Mineral Testing Terms
Terms
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- Inorganic
- not formed by plants or animals
- Mineral
- a solid material that is formed in nature & are not usually formed by plants or animals/it is inorganic & has a definate chemical and crystal structure
- Fluorescence
- visible light shown/glows under ultraviolet light
- Ore
- a rock or mineral is called this if it has enough of a useful substance that can be sold for a profit
- Hardness
- test of which minerals scratch or are scratched by others
- Moh's Scale
- a scale to classify minerals by their hardness 1(softest) to 10(hardest)
- Birefringence
- the splitting of a light wave into two waves/double refraction
- Conchoidal
- having a shell-like surface when fractured
- Magnetism
- attraction to magnets or metals
- Gem
- minerals that are rare & can be cut and polished
- Cleavage
- splitting into pieces with smooth, regular surfaces that reflects light
- Streak
- color produced when a mineral is scratched on an unglazed, white tile
- Heft
- estimation of weight of heaviness
- Fracture
- breaking into pieces with jagged or rough edges (breaks at random)
- Density
- D = m/v - the ratio of the mass of the mineral to its volume
- Effervescence
- the giving off of gas bubbles
- Luster
- how light reflects from a minerals surface
- Specific Gravity
- compares the density of a mineral with the density of an equal volume of water
- Color
- visual perception of a mineral's hue by light