Identifying minerals through physical and chemical properties

Minerals

According to Lutgen & Tarbuck (2011) "the properties of minerals include crystal shape (habit),luster, color, streak, hardness, cleavage, fracture, and density or specific gravity. In addition, a number of special physical and chemical properties (taste, smell, elasticity, feel, magnetism, double refraction, and chemical reaction to hydrochloric acid) are useful in identifying certain minerals. Each mineral has a unique set of properties that can be used for identification " (p.24).

If, as a scientist studying minerals, I wished to identify an unknown sample mineral, I would use the aforementioned criteria to help classify the example in question. In order to fully explain this technique, I will take each quality and explain in detail the fundamental properties of that quality .

Luster: I would check the mineral for its ability to reflect light. A mineral's luster is its shininess and its ability to shine and gloss.

Color: The color of a mineral helps to classify it. Color is not a great quality to base classifications. Minerals can fairly easily be discolored in normal conditions. Another poor quality about color is that many minerals share different coloring patterns and does not help in discerning its true nature.

Streak: The streaking of a mineral is a much clearer distinguishing mark of a mineral. A streak is attained by rubbing the mineral across a piece of unglazed porcelain or streak plate. This streak will signify the true color of the mineral and significantly assist the mineralogist in garnering an accurate classification.

Hardness: Hardness is one of the most useful ways of classifying minerals. The hardness of a mineral measures its resistance to damage and scratching. The Mohs scale is helpful in determining the hardness of a mineral, but other means of computation are also available. Taking a fingernail and scraping across the mineral is a simple and preliminary means to measure the hardness of a mineral.