MINERALS
MINERALS
MINERALS
Or
agate
amethyst
jasper
smoky quartz
Mineral Properties
Used to identify minerals
Color
• Least useful property in identifying
minerals.
• Why?
All of these are varieties of quartz!
Streak
• The color of a minerals powder.
• “streak test”
Luster
• How the minerals surface reflects
light.
• Metallic vs. non- metallic.
Luster
metallic adamantine
glassy
pearly dull
waxy
Hardness
• The ability of a mineral to resist being
scratched.
• “Scratch test”
Sulphur
Characteristic Chemical
Composition
Quartz
SiO2
Characteristic Chemical
Composition
Tourmaline
(Ca,K,Na)
(Al,Fe,Li,Mg,Mn)3
(Al,Cr,Fe,V)6
(BO3)3 (Si,Al,B)6
O18(OH,F)4