Minerals – Definition & Properties

Definition
Definitions are important so we will all know exactly what we are talking about.

In Geology, a mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a specific chemical

composition and a crystalline structure. OK but what does that mean?

Naturally occurring means formed without human intervention

Humans can imitate nature and make artificial minerals like industrial diamonds.

Inorganic means is not now & has never been living tissue; not made by living creatures
Your teeth are not minerals because your body made them.

Specific chemical composition means always has the same chemical formula, like NaCl (rock
salt)– not a mixture, like a chocolate-chip cookie
e.g. Quartz’s composition is SiO2 which means that for every silicon atom, there are 2
oxygen atoms. Hematite, a kind of iron ore, has the formula Fe2O3 which means that
the ratio of iron (Fe) to oxygen (O) is 2 to 3.

Crystalline structure means grows crystals with a specific shape determined by their chemical
compositions

Although there are commonly little mistakes here and there and some impurities sprinkled in, 99%
of a mineral’s chemical elements are listed in the formula and those atoms are in their specific
place in the crystal pattern. Minerals tend to be pure, not mixtures.

Just to make sure we have it right, figure out which of the following are minerals and which are
not. If it is a mineral, write fits the definition. If it is not a mineral, briefly explain why.
e.g. Wood is not a mineral because it was made by a living thing, a tree.

A quartz crystal from a quarry fits the definition

A lump of coal not a mineral – made of plants
A clam shell on the beach not a mineral – made by a living thing (organic)
A garnet sand grain on the beach fits the definition
A gold nugget from a stream fits the definition
A fossilized shark tooth not a mineral – made by a living thing (organic)
A dinosaur bone not a mineral – made by a living thing (organic)
A chunk of granite from a quarry not a mineral – a mixture (a rock formed of many different
minerals)
A diamond in a ring fits the definition, assuming it is a real, non-manmade diamond
Ice on a pond fits a definition
Ice in the ice cube tray in the fridge not a mineral – made by humans
Physical and Chemical Properties
(Properties are just characteristics. e.g. Concrete is hard, pillows are soft; grass is green, fire
engines are red; George is nice, Susan is mean; new cars are shiny, pavement is dull.)

Because of their crystal structure and chemical composition, each mineral has a specific set
of physical and chemical properties. They look and behave differently.
If they didn’t, how could we tell them apart???

Crystals – the “flowers” of the mineral kingdom

Every mineral, under the “right circumstances” will grow in a characteristic shape or shapes.
Sometimes these are common enough to help identify a mineral. E.g. pyrite or fool’s gold
commonly forms in cubes and quartz commonly has a 6 sided prism topped with a 6 sided
pyramid.

Luster
Luster is the quality of the reflected light. To say a specimen is shiny is not good enough. As
junior scientists, we have to describe the shine. The lusters we will be describing are the highest
shine a mineral can have. It is the luster of a clean crystal face of a freshly broken surface.
Chemical attack and scratching can reduce the luster.

There are two major kinds of luster:

1. Metallic – lusters that look like metal – steel, chrome, silver, gold etc. Metallic lusters
are totally opaque
light cannot penetrate.
2. Nonmetallic – lusters that do not look like metal
a. Brilliant – the luster of gem stones like diamond or cubic zirconium
b. Glassy – like shine of broken glass
c. Pearly – the soft shine of a pearl
d. Waxy – like candle wax
e. Dull – like dull

Color
Color is the property of deception because:
1. Many minerals come in a number of colors e.g. quartz can be clear, yellow, purple, black, pink
2. Some minerals are always, always, always the same color. Azurite is always blue and
malachite is always green.
3. Some minerals can have exactly the same color as another mineral. E.g. fluorite and quartz can
have exactly the same purple color and glassy luster. Hardness will distinguish them.

Which mineral - quartz or fluorite - can scratch glass? Quartz scratches glass, fluorite is
scratched by glass
So color is the last property we use to identify a mineral.

Streak
Streak is the color of the powdered mineral and much more reliable than color.
Simply rub the mineral on a streak plate and observe the color produced.
Streak may or may not be the color of the mineral specimen.
No matter what the color of the mineral specimen is, TRUST THE STREAK!!!

Hardness
Hardness is the “scratchability” of a mineral – how easy or difficult it is to scratch a mineral.
 Moh’s Scale, below, is the scale of hardness used by geologists.
Rating Reference Material Reference Tool
1 Talc
2 Gypsum Fingernail (2.5)
3 Calcite Copper penny (3.5)
4 Fluorite
5 Apatite Glass plate (5.5)
6 Potassium feldspar Steel file (6.5)
7 Quartz
8 Topaz
9 Corundum
10 Diamond

If an unknown mineral scratches your fingernail but is scratched by a penny, than its hardness
value is between 2.5 and 3.5. An example of such a mineral is calcite.

Hardness – quick and dirty

1. If the mineral is softer than your fingernail, it is considered very soft.
2. If the mineral is softer than glass (it can’t scratch glass but glass can scratch it), it is
considered soft.
3. If a mineral is harder than glass, it is considered hard
4. If a mineral is harder than a streak plate (leaves no streak) it is considered to be hard
Cleavage and Fracture
All minerals break!! How they break can help identify them

Cleavage is the tendency for a mineral to break in particular directions forming flat breakage
surfaces. Minerals may have: 1 direction like the micas
2 directions like feldspars
3 directions like halite
4 directions like fluorite (uncommon)
6 directions like sphalerite (very rare)
Fracture the other way minerals can break.
Splintery – like wood
Conchoidal – like broken glass
Irregular – no pattern, just uneven

Other Properties
1. Magnetic – some minerals are attracted to a magnet like magnetite
2. Reaction to acid – minerals like calcite will bubble in contact with weak HCl (hydrochloric
acid).
3. Feel Some minerals have a distinctive feel. e.g. Talc feels soapy.
4. Taste e.g. halite tastes salty
5. Smell a few minerals have a smell. e.g. if you exhale on clay, it smells kind of funky
6. Double refraction – minerals like calcite make a double image of objects viewed through them
7. Fluorescence – some minerals will appear a different color under ultraviolet light (i.e. calcite
appears red, willemite appears green)
8. Phosphorescence – minerals that glow after being exposed to ultraviolet light
 Mineral Identification - Dichotomous Key
Hardness Cleavage or
Luster Streak Color Other Name
Range Fracture
Greasy feel;
Softer than Metallic
Cleavage Gray used for Graphite
fingernail silver
pencils
Harder than
Very dense;
fingernail, Cubic Metallic
Gray source of Galena
Softer than Cleavage silver
Metallic iron
glass

Black to Attracted to
Fracture Black Magnetite
silver magnet
Harder than
glass Dark
Fracture green or Brassy yellow --- Pyrite
black

White/gray/
Cleavage White Greasy feel Talc
green

Fracture Yellow Yellow --- Sulfur

Softer than Cleavage – None/ Colorless to Muscovite

---
fingernail thin sheets white yellow mica

Cubic None/ Colorless to Source of

Halite
cleavage white white salt

Cleavage – Black to dark

None --- Biotite
thin sheets brown
Nonmetallic
Harder than White, gray, Source of
Fracture White Bauxite
fingernail, yellow, red aluminum
softer than Rhombus None/ Colorless or Used for
Calcite
glass cleavage white variable cement
Potassium
Cleavage
None White to pink --- Feldspar
(poor)
(orthoclase)
Granular light
Harder than Fracture None --- Olivine
green
glass
Hexagonal
Conchoidal Colorless or crystals (if
None Quartz
fracture variable any); glass
& jewelry