Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______

Mineral Identification Lab

Procedure: Identify 17 minerals based on their physical properties.

Luster / Cleavage or Fracture / Streak / Hardness / Characteristic / Mineral
Metallic / Cleavage / Color / Soft / Silver Color / Galena
Hard /  / ------
Colorless or White / Soft /  / ------
Hard /  / ------
Fracture / Color / Soft / Streaks Red/Rusty / Metallic Hematite
Hard / Dark Green Streak / Pyrite
Streaks Red/Rusty / Metallic Hematite
Black Streak / Magnetite
Colorless or White / Soft /  / ------
Hard /  / ------
Non - metallic / Cleavage / Color / Soft /  / ------
Hard / Splintery* / Hornblende
Dark Green / Pyroxene
Colorless or White / Soft / Dark Flexible Sheets / Biotite Mica
Light Flexible Sheets / Muscovite Mica
Bubbles w/acid / Calcite
Blue/Green Color / Fluorite
Easily scratched by fingernail / Gypsum
Hard / Pink color / Potassium Feldspar
Striations * / Plagioclase Feldspar
Fracture / Color / Soft
Hard / Red brown Streak / Earthy Hematite
Colorless or White / Soft /  / ------
Hard / Granular * / Olivine
Pink/Purple/Grey/White (Glassy) / Quartz
Dark Red / Garnet

Splintery: ______

______

Granular:______Striations:______

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

1. Explain the following characteristics that are required for a substance to be considered a mineral:

A. Inorganic- ______

B. Solid- ______

C. Definite Chemical Composition-______

D. Naturally 0ccurring-______

2. If a mineral is shiny, it does not mean it is metallic.What are the colors or appearances that make a mineral “metallic?”______

______

3. What 2 ways distinguish calcite from quartz and why? ______

______

4. How can you identify cleavage in a mineral? ______

______

Using the ESRT page 16 and your data table, answer the following questions.

5. What 2 ways distinguish plagioclase feldspar from potassium feldspar? ______and ______.

6. What mineral is used to make paint and roofing material? ______

7. What mineral is used as a food additive? ______

8. Which mineral can scratch dolomite but cannot scratch pyroxene? ______

9. Which mineral is used in dry wall? ______

10. What distinguishing property does magnetite exhibit that no other mineral will? ______

11. A silicate mineral has both silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) in it. Write down all of the silicate minerals. ______

______

______total:______

12. Hornblende is the most common type of this mineral? ______

13. Pyroxene is often referred to as this mineral?______

15. These are some of the observed physical properties of a mineral:

- variety of colors

- scratches glass

- looks glassy

- fracture

Based on this description,what is the name of this mineral and what elements make ups its composition?

______
Create a data chart of the physical properties for the 17 minerals

These are the minerals: Earthy Hematite, Galena, Magnetite, Pyrite, Amphibole (Hornblende), Biotite Mica, Olivine, Pyroxene, Calcite, Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase), Plagioclase Feldspar, Garnet, Gypsum, Quartz, Muscovite Mica and Fluorite.

Mineral Name / Luster
(Metallic or
Non-Metallic) / Cleavage or Fracture / Hardness
(Hard or Soft) / Streak
(Color or White/None) / Color
(actual mineral color)
Plainedge Earth Science Dept. 2013
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