Geologists have identified and named more than 5,000 minerals!!! Though only about 20 make up the majority of minerals on Earth.


Because there are so many, it can be hard to tell them apart. We can use mineral properties to determine an unknown mineral!

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Mineral Properties

​Which mineral is which?!

Mineral Properties

Minerals are Identified using 8 different Properties

• Color

• Streak

• Luster

• Cleavage or Fracture

• Hardness

• Density

• Crystal Structure

• Special

The actual color of the mineral. Very unreliable since many minerals can have the same color.

Color

The color of the powder the mineral leaves behind. MIGHT BE different than mineral color!

Streak

Description of how light reflects from a mineral's surface.

Metallic, non-metallic, earthy, waxy

​​Luster

​Term for how a mineral breaks.

Cleavage is when a mineral breaks cleanly and evenly. Fracture is when a mineral breaks unevenly.

​​Cleavage or fracture

Special Properties

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Density

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Crystal Structure

Using Mohs Hardness Scale, scientists rank the hardness of minerals from 1 being the softest to 10 being the hardest.
A mineral can scratch anything with a lower number, and will be scratched by anything with a higher number.

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Mohs Hardness Scale

Color: White or Clear
Streak: White
Luster: Non-metallic
Breakage: Cleavage
Hardness: 2.5
Special: Salty Taste

Halite

Color: Clear to White
Streak: White
Luster: Non-metallic
Breakage: Cleavage
Hardness: 3
Special: Fizzes with HCl (hydrochloric acid)

Calcite

Color: Clear, White, purple, pink, green, yellow
Streak: White
Luster: Non-metallic
Breakage: Cleavage
Hardness: 7
Special: None

Quartz