Minerals
Minerals, which are inorganic, are building blocks of all rocks. The common minerals are called rock forming minerals quartz, feldspar, mica and hornblende. All minerals have their own set of characteristic, the properties by which minerals can be identified by are their crystal structure, color, streak, luster, density, hardness, fracture and cleavage.
Crystal Structure: Crystal structure is the geometric shape in which the mineral's atoms are arranged.
Color: Sometimes you can tell what type of mineral you have by the color but other time the color can change because of slight changes in its composition. An example of a mineral that is always the same color is pyrite which is always yellow.
Streak: A streak is the color of the minerals powder. To find the streak you scrape a piece of rock on a streak plate. It is possible for the color of the streak to have a different color from the minerals.
Luster: Luster is the way in which a minerals surface reflects light, how shiny the mineral is. Words used to describe luster are earthy, silky, pearly, vitreous, and glassy.
Density: The density of a mineral depends on its chemical composition. Minerals with higher atomic masses have a higher density than those with lower atomic masses.
Hardness: Hardness is the minerals resistance to scratch.
Crystal Structure: Crystal structure is the geometric shape in which the mineral's atoms are arranged.
Color: Sometimes you can tell what type of mineral you have by the color but other time the color can change because of slight changes in its composition. An example of a mineral that is always the same color is pyrite which is always yellow.
Streak: A streak is the color of the minerals powder. To find the streak you scrape a piece of rock on a streak plate. It is possible for the color of the streak to have a different color from the minerals.
Luster: Luster is the way in which a minerals surface reflects light, how shiny the mineral is. Words used to describe luster are earthy, silky, pearly, vitreous, and glassy.
Density: The density of a mineral depends on its chemical composition. Minerals with higher atomic masses have a higher density than those with lower atomic masses.
Hardness: Hardness is the minerals resistance to scratch.
Fracture and Cleavage: Fracture is how the mineral breaks and is determined by the crystalline structure of the mineral and the bonds between the atoms in the crystals. Cleavage is a type of fracture in which the mineral tends to split along regular, well defined planes where the bonds are weakest.