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Rocks and Minerals
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mineral | natural, nonliving solid material found in or on Earth |
| Rock | natural solid that is usually a mixture of minerals |
| Geology | studies rocks and the physicals aspects of Earth |
| Property | any quality that serves to describe an object, material, or relationship |
| Luster | the way a mineral reflects light, metallic or nonmetallic |
| Hardness | how easily a mineral can be scratched |
| Mohs Scale of Hardness | scale that ranks the hardness of materials |
| Streak test | reveals the true color of a mineral specimen |
| Acid test | check for a chemical reaction by using an acid to determine if calcium carbonate is present |
| Crystal | solid substance with particles arranged in an orderly, repeatable pattern |
| Crust | top layer of Earth; contains soil, rocks and minerals |
| Mantle | between the crust and the core, hot melted rock |
| Core | central part of Earth; liquid outer core and solid inner core |