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Mineral Identification: and The Properties of Minerals

Mineral identification is done by checking various properties or characteristics of minerals such as streak, luster, sheen, hardness, cleavage, crystal system, color, specific gravity, and clarity. Minerals can be identified by testing each characteristic using simple tools like a magnifying glass and magnet. The most accurate identification is determining the mineral's chemical composition and how the chemicals combine to form the mineral.

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Soleh Sundava
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66 views

Mineral Identification: and The Properties of Minerals

Mineral identification is done by checking various properties or characteristics of minerals such as streak, luster, sheen, hardness, cleavage, crystal system, color, specific gravity, and clarity. Minerals can be identified by testing each characteristic using simple tools like a magnifying glass and magnet. The most accurate identification is determining the mineral's chemical composition and how the chemicals combine to form the mineral.

Uploaded by

Soleh Sundava
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mineral Identification

And The Properties of Minerals


Mineral identification is done by checking for certain mineral properties or
characteristics. Minerals are inorganic compounds that occur naturally in the earth.
Elements such as silicon, magnesium, aluminum, calcium and iron form special
combinations that have particular characteristics that identify them, just as organs and
tissues combine from cells in special ways to form different plants and animals.
The various minerals can be classified according to similar characteristics. Scientists
called mineralogists consider the following characteristics for mineral identification:

Streak

Luster

Sheen

Hardness

Cleavage

Crystal system/habit

Color (although by itself, this is not a reliable characteristic)

Specific Gravity

Clarity or Transparency

Minerals can be tested according to each characteristic and reasonable identification


can be made. With practice, many minerals can be identified solely by visual
characteristics. The only absolute test, however, is to determine the chemical
composition and the manner in which the chemicals came together to form the mineral.
In order to to this some simple tools are helpful.

Minerals can be tested according to each characteristic and reasonable identification


can be made. With practice, many minerals can be identified solely by visual
characteristics. The only absolute test, however, is to determine the chemical
composition and the manner in which the chemicals came together to form the mineral.
In order to to this some simple tools are helpful.

a small squeeze bottle or eye dropper

a way to test harness (a collection of objects of known hardness soft, medium,


and hard)

a magnet

magnifying glass

There is no specific order for testing a mineral, but many possible classifications can be
ruled out using simple visual assessments. Using the tools listed above you can also
check for acidic reaction from organic matter and limestone with a dilute acid ( like
vinegar ) in the squeeze bottle. You can check for hardness using a penny, nail, and
apiece of glass. If you have a large enough specimen use a hammer to break a piece.
This will tell you about the cleavage and fracture pattern of your mineral.Check for
crystal structure using the magnifying glass. And check for ferrous metals using the
magnet.

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