click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
8th- Mineral Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
mineral | a naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline, solid with a definite chemical composition |
inorganic | comes from a non-living process or object |
ore | rocks containing minerals that can be mined |
native mineral | elements that are also mineral, such as gold (Au) |
mineral family | the way minerals are grouped together using their chemical composition |
oxides | family of minerals that includes elements + oxygen |
sulfides | family of minerals that includes elements + sulfur |
halides | family of minerals that includes elements + halogens |
carbonate | family of minerals that includes elements + CO3 (members of this family react with acids) |
sulfate | family of minerals that includes elements + SO4 |
silicate | family of minerals that includes elements + silicon and oxygen; largest mineral family |
streak | the color of the powder from a mineral that is left on a piece of porcelain tile |
luster | how a mineral reflects light from its surface, metallic or non-metallic |
hardness | a mineral’s resistance to being scratched |
Mohs scale | the standard rankings used to compare mineral hardness |
specific gravity | the ratio of mineral’s density to the density of water calculated by dividing the mass of a sample by the mass of an equal volume of water |
cleavage | the property of a mineral to break in a flat plane |
fracture | the property of a mineral to break unevenly |
crystal structure | a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystalline pattern that gives a mineral its shape |
special properties | unique characteristics of minerals such as fluorescence, magnetism, refraction, and radioactivity |