Minerals: Properties And Characterstics Quiz!

Diamond is the hardest mineral on the Mohs scale because it has a perfect crystal structure and strong covalent bonds between its carbon atoms. This gives diamond its exceptional hardness, making it able to scratch and cut through other materials. The Mohs scale is a scale that measures the relative hardness of minerals, with diamond being assigned the highest value of 10.

Silicate minerals are composed primarily of silicon and oxygen. Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, and it forms strong bonds with oxygen to create a tetrahedral structure. This structure is the basis for the various types of silicate minerals, which can have different arrangements and combinations of silicon and oxygen atoms. Silicate minerals make up the majority of the Earth's crust and are essential components of rocks such as granite and basalt.

The mineral property of lustre measures or describes how well a mineral reflects light. Lustre refers to the way light interacts with the surface of a mineral. It can range from metallic to non-metallic, and can be described as shiny, dull, or glassy. The lustre of a mineral is determined by the arrangement of its atoms and the way they interact with light.

The specific gravity of a mineral measures its density. Density refers to the mass of a substance per unit volume. Therefore, the specific gravity of a mineral indicates how heavy it is compared to an equal volume of water. This property is useful in identifying and classifying minerals, as different minerals have different densities.

The Mohs scale is a scale used to measure the hardness of minerals. It ranks minerals from 1 to 10 based on their ability to scratch other minerals. Therefore, the correct answer is "a mineral's hardness." The scale is widely used in the field of geology to determine the relative hardness of different minerals and is a useful tool for identifying and classifying minerals based on their physical properties.

Minerals must meet five characteristics to be considered a mineral: solid, inorganic, naturally occurring, have a crystal structure and definite chemical composition.

The property of streak measures the color of the mineral in powdered form. This is determined by rubbing the mineral against a porcelain plate or streak plate to produce a streak of powdered mineral. The color of this streak can be different from the color of the mineral itself, providing valuable information for mineral identification.

If a mineral breaks along flat or even surfaces, it has cleavage. Cleavage is a property of minerals that describes how they break when subjected to stress. Minerals with cleavage break along specific planes of weakness, resulting in smooth, flat surfaces. This is different from fracture, which refers to the way minerals break irregularly and do not produce flat surfaces. Luster refers to the appearance of a mineral's surface in reflected light, and streak refers to the color of a mineral's powdered form.

Gold, silver, and copper are examples of native elements. Native elements are minerals that occur in nature in their pure form, without being chemically combined with other elements. Gold, silver, and copper are all metals that are found naturally in the Earth's crust. They are highly valued for their beauty, conductivity, and malleability, and have been used by humans for thousands of years for various purposes, including as currency and for making jewelry and tools.

Cleavage is a mineral property that measures the tendency of a mineral to break along specific planes, producing smooth and flat surfaces. It is not related to the mineral's density, but rather to its internal structure and the arrangement of its atoms. The ease with which a mineral can be scratched is measured by its hardness, while the ability to reflect light is described by a mineral's luster. The color of a mineral in powdered form is determined by its streak. Therefore, the correct answer is that cleavage measures the tendency of a mineral to break along specific planes, not its density.