Physical Properties of Minerals
Minerals: the building blocks of rocks
• Definition of a Mineral:
✔ naturally occurring
✔ inorganic
✔ solid
✔ characteristic crystalline structure
✔ definite chemical composition
How do we identify minerals?
• Physical properties:
✔ Color
✔ Streak
✔ Luster
✔ Hardness
✔ Crystal form
✔ Cleavage
✔ Fracture
✔ Density
✔ Distinctive
1. Colour
•Determined by the chemical composition of the
mineral
•Colour is not particularly useful as a diagnostic
property
•Some minerals show a wide variety of colours
•Quartz can be transparent, white, pink, brown,
purple, yellow, orange and even black
•Many minerals show very similar colours
Colour
• Allochromatic minerals show colour variations
• Idiochromatic minerals have constant colour
Mineralogy 5
Colour 4
E
xamples of colour variation in Fluorite
Colour 5
Plagioclase feldspar
Quartz
Calcite Barytes
Fluorite Gypsum
All these minerals are grey or white in colour
2cm
The way in which a mineral
2. Lustre reflects light
Controlled by the atomic
structure of the mineral
Main types of lustre are
Vitreous
Metallic
Pearly
Resinous
Adamantine
Dull/Earthy
Quartz – Vitreous
Lustre
Vitreous Lustre
Fluorite
Dog-Tooth Calcite
The mineral reflects light like glass
Sometimes glassy lustre is used instead of vitreous
Metallic Lustre
Malachite
GalenaMinerals reflect light
like metals.
Metallic lustre often tarnishes to a dull lustre
Biotite Mica Muscovite Mica
Pearly Lustre
The lustre of a pearl or
mother of pearl
Shows clearly on the
cleavage surfaces of
biotite and muscovite
Silky Lustre
mica
Also shown by Talc
and selenite (a variety
of gypsum)
1cm
The Occurs in minerals with a
lustre fibrous structure
of
silk Satin spar (a fibrous form
of gypsum) shows this to
good effect
Gypsum (Satin Spar)
1cm
The
Resinous Lustre
lustre of resin
The mineral has a
grainy appearance
Sphalerite, opal
and amber show
resinous lustre
Sphalerite (Zinc Blende)
Dull or Earthy
Lustre
The mineral does not reflect
light and has the same
appearance as soil.
Minerals such as galena
have metallic lustres on
freshly broken surfaces but
they tarnish to dull with
prolonged exposure to the
atmosphere 1cm
Limonite has a dull or earthy lustre
3. Streak
The colour of a mineral’s powder
Obtained by rubbing a mineral
specimen on an unglazed white
porcelain tile
Useful for identifying metallic ore
minerals
Silicates generally do not mark
the tile and have no streak
White minerals streaked on a white
tile will have a white streak
Any minerals harder than the tile (6)
will scratch it
Haematite gives a cherry red
streak
Metallic Ore Minerals – Characteristic Streaks
4. Hardness
Measured on Moh’s scale from 1.0 (softest) to 10
(hardest)
Talc 1.0 Diamond 10.0
Scale was devised by measuring the amount of noise and powder
produced from rubbing a mineral on a metal file
Moh’s Scale of Hardness
Steel nail 5.5-6.0
Fingernail 2.5
Copper coin 3.0
Window glass 5.0
Everyday objects can be substituted for minerals on Moh’s scale
Testing For Hardness
Try to scratch mineral
specimens with substances of
known hardness
If a mineral is not scratched by
your fingernail, but is
scratched by a copper coin
then it will have a hardness of
2.5–3.0
If a mineral cannot be
scratched by steel it has a
hardness of over 6.0
Gypsum is scratched by a
fingernail, hardness <2.5
[Link]
The way a mineral breaks when struck by a
hammer
The type of fracture is not controlled by any weaknesses
in the atomic structure of the mineral
Types of Fracture
Conchoidal – Like Glass
Even – Flat fracture surface
Uneven – Irregular fracture surface
Hackly – Very jagged like cast
iron
Fracture is only described when the mineral has no cleavage
Conchoidal Fracture
This type of fracture is
the same as that shown
by window glass
A series of concentric
curved lines can be
seen on the fractured
surface
A diagnostic property of
the mineral quartz
5mm
Rose quartz showing conchoidal fracture
6. Cleavage
The way a mineral breaks
when struck by a hammer
Cleavage is controlled by lines
of weakness in the atomic
structure of the mineral
Minerals can have 1, 2, 3
or 4 planes of cleavage
1 plane, parallel or
basal cleavage
2 planes of cleavage that
intersect at a characteristic angle
3 planes (cubic, rhombohedral)
4 planes, octahedral cleavage
Parallel or Basal
Cleavage
1cm B
iotite Mica Barytes
1cm
One plane of cleavage enables the mineral to part along
parallel lines. It is analogous to a ream of paper that can be
separated into individual sheets.
Minerals Showing 2 Sets of Cleavage
Planes 1cm
1cm
Augite Plagioclase Feldspar Feldspars –
intersect at 90 degrees
Augite (Pyroxene) – intersect at 90 degrees
Hornblende (Amphibole) – Intersect at 60/120
degrees
Prismatic
Halite
Cl
1cm
ea
va
ge
1cm Calcite
Produced by the intersect at 90 degrees e.g.
intersection of three halite
cleavage planes
Rhombohedral cleavage 3
Cubic cleavage 3 planes planes intersect at 60/120
degrees e.g. calcite
[Link] Reaction
Use dilute hydrochloric acid
to test for carbonates
Calcite effervesces (fizzes)
and gives off carbon dioxide
gas
Calcite reacting and giving
off carbon dioxide
2cm
[Link]
If a mineral can be
tasted in the mouth, then
it is soluble in fresh
water
Halite (rock salt) tastes
salty and is a diagnostic
property of the mineral
Magnetism
1cm
Steel pins and magnet
Octahedral crystals of Magnetite attracted to
Magnetite
The ability of a mineral to attract iron filings and pick up steel pins
Magnets stick to magnetite quite readily and is the only
strongly magnetic mineral found at the earth’s surface
Feel
A characteristic sensation experienced when a mineral is held and rubbed
between the fingers
2cm 2cm
Graphite feels very cold upon
the touch as it is a very good Form or Habit
conductor of heat
Talc feels very greasy when
rubbed between the fingers
Amo
rphous Chalcopyrite
Crystallised Iron Pyrite
This refers to the common appearance of the mineral and
varies from crystallised to amorphous or massiveThe external
shape (habit) of well-developed crystals can be visually studied and
classified
Variations in Habit/Form/Appearance of Minerals
Variations in Habit/Form/Appearance of Minerals
Diagnostic Properties
Those properties that allow any mineral to be
identified Most minerals have two to four diagnostic
properties Hardness, cleavage, streak and habit are
most useful Colour, lustre, transparency and density
are less useful
Special properties such as acid reaction, taste, magnetism, striking
fire with steel and feel are often used to identify a mineral
