Earth Science: Chapters 3-4

Calcite

A mineral which bubbles when it comes in contact with hydrochloric acid because the calcite releases.

Moh's Hardness Scale

A mineral's hardness with respect to other minerals can be determined by this scale.

Carbonates

A type of mineral composed of Ore or more metal.

Silicates

A type of mineral composed of Oxygen and Silicon.

Oxides

A type of mineral composed of Oxygen and a metal.

Gem

A valuable mineral prized for its rarity and beauty.

Hardness

Minerals that break along jagged edges.

Magnetism

The special property that lodestone has.

Luster

The way a mineral reflects light from it's surface.

Color

This is caused by the presence of different trace elements.

Underground Mining

This is how you remove ore from deep within the Earth's crust.

Double Refraction

This is when light is bent in two directions.

Open Pit Mines

This is where you obtain ore near Earth's surface.

The appearance of milky quartz is caused by ___

it's hardness.

Identification tests for minerals are based on their ___

physical and chemical properties.

Minerals break along planes where atomic bonds are ___

weak.

Cleavage

A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched.

Ore

A mineral that contains a useful substance that can be mined at a profit.

Texture

How a mineral feels to the touch.

Emeralds

Rubies and ____ are more valuable than diamonds.

Streak

The color of a mineral when it is broken up and powdered.

Specific Gravity

The density of a mineral expressed by the ratio of the weight of the substance to the weight of equal volume of water at 4 degrees Celsius.

Abrasive

The mineral Corundum is used as this.

Trace Elements

The presence of this can make one variety of a mineral more colorful and thus more prized than other varieties of the same mineral.

Overburden

Unwanted rock or dirt that is dug up with ore.

Fracture

When a mineral splits easily or evenly along one or more planes, such as quartz.