 Color = Not a great identifying property because it varies within a mineral

sample
 Luster = How light reflects off minerals Metalic-looks like a metal Non-
Metalic doesn’t look like a piece of metal. Careful of shiny
 Minerals = naturally occurring, inorganic, solid that has a definite chemical
composition
 Poly minerallic = a rock composed of more than one mineral
 Mono minerallic = a rock composed of only one mineral
 Hardness = scratching a mineral against a glass plate scratches-harder than
glass. No scratch – softer than glass Glass hardnes : 5.5
 Special Properties = bubbles with acid-calcite double refraction-calcite
fluorescence-fluorite magnetism-magnetite
 Streak = rubbing a mineral along a porcelain tile…powdered fom of mineral
 Rock = a naturally formed solid made of one or more minerals
 Fracture = mineral breaks along an uneven surface
 Cleavage = mineral breaks along a flat surface
 Internal arrangement of atoms = Gives mineral its own characteristic