This resource is my identifying minerals lab report, a one day lab activity that has students test and identify 7 different mystery minerals. Geological survey world wide web information usgs fact sheet 03700, 2000. You test the hardness of a mineral by scratching its surface with a mineral of a known hardness. The year 8 package explores the following statement from the australian curriculum. For example, the hematite stone is black when polished, but it leaves a red streak. Rock and mineral kits the most effective way to learn about rocks and minerals. Snells law acrobat pdf 156kb feb11 09, vector resolution acrobat pdf 444kb feb11 09, retardation acrobat pdf 3. In a river, deposition of sediments occurs most in water flow which is. See how well you can identify minerals by answering questions about the hardest mineral.
To do the hardness test, you will sometimes need to use considerable force. To test for hardness with any of these items, two approaches may be used. There are many tests you can conduct without specialized equipment to narrow down the possibilities, and a handy. Identifying minerals worksheets teachers pay teachers.
A mineral hardness test kit can be easily created from common household or hardware items table 6. These include color, crystal form, hardness, density, luster, and cleavage. To test for streak, draw the mineral against an unglazed porcelain tile streak plate. Take your samples and test each one of them using the tests listed below. Learn to examine minerals and to do tests for common properties. Properties of minerals earth science quiz visionlearning. No only the minerals that are softer than the porcelain plate.
The objective of this activity is to get the students familiar to minerals and their properties. Oct 07, 2010 iswi earth science presentation for identifying minerals. To accurately identify a mineral and be 100% certain, an individual would have to run a. Identification tests use your hand lense when observing your samples a. Also, a dark piece of glass may appear to be opaque if it is thick enough. For more information about how to determine the name of a sample of unknown. Other propertiessuch as reaction with acid, magnetism, specific gravity, tenacity, taste, odor, feel, and presence of striationsare helpful in identifying certain minerals.
In this activity, students will learn five characteristics of a mineral and conduct tests to identify minerals that are found in virginia. Visit my website at to check out recent blog entries, videos, and more, including worksheets to go along. Grade 4 standard 3 unit test a earth materials multiple. Use your textbook, notebook, the front seat, or other useful research tools to take notes on your assigned rock type. When an unknown mineral is rubbed against a piece of unglazed porcelain akastreak plate it may produce a colored line.
How to identify common minerals with pictures wikihow. Aug 20, 2012 episode 2 expands on the mineral concept by discussing the characteristics of minerals used in mineral identification. This will help the students get familiar with the subject. If a virtual private party is more your thing, go here for details. This is used widely in mineralogy, hydrocarbon exploration and general mapping. Identifying minerals reading comprehension worksheet edhelper. There are many tests you can conduct without specialized equipment to narrow down the possibilities, and a handy description of common minerals on this page to compare with your result. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. This module, the second in a series on minerals, describes the physical properties that are commonly used to identify minerals. Episode 2 expands on the mineral concept by discussing the characteristics of minerals used in mineral identification. Sugilite is a rare mineral and a gemstone best known for its vibrant pink to purple color. Metallic minerals are commonly shiny and opaque, even on thin edges. Write a creative story that 1 describe your rocks origin from existing rocks, 2 the process of changing into a new rock. Take an unknown mineral and scratch it with an object of known hardness like a fingernail or a mineral like quartz.
I suggest the rock and mineral powerpoint presentation be used before this activity. The rocks do not have a crystal shape and are made from a collection of minerals. This manual is intended for use by persons with a basic knowledge of inorganic. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Identification tests for the different elements in alphabetical order of their.
Most rocks contain several minerals in a mixture characteristic of the particular rock type. All pieces in the hardness test kit should be compared to one another and specific minerals with a known hardness. Terminology can be referenced in the illustrated glossary of terms that is located at the end of the descriptive information. Mineral identification lab deer valley unified school. The colored powder the stone leaves behind is called its streak. Join a live hosted trivia game for your favorite pub trivia experience done virtually. This test is very useful for hematite and limonite. The full package can be downloaded by clicking here.
Color, luster, streak, hardness, cleavage, fracture, and crystal form are the most useful physical properties for identifying most minerals. Hardness is measured on the 10point mohs scale, which is essentially a scratch test. Some minerals are usually one color, but some can be different colors. You can use the minerals in the scale to test the hardness of an unknown mineral. Unfortunately, because many lightcolored minerals have white or pastel streaks, a streak test is not particularly useful in identifying nonmetallic minerals. Chapter minerals of the earths crust section 2 identifying. Play sporcle s virtual live trivia to have fun, connect with people, and get your trivia on. An overview of the tests that can help you to identify a mineral sample. But minerals have specific chemical and physical properties. Limonite uses baby powder, paints, ceramics iron ore white 1good cleavage. Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks contain minerals and are formed by processes that occur within earth over a variety of timescales. Technically not a mineral, as it lacks a crystalline structure.
For this activity, we are going to try to identify ten different minerals from their properties. Visit my website at to check out recent blog entries, videos, and more, including worksheets to. For this identification procedure, three characteristics of minerals will be of major. To check a rough gemstones streak, rub it across the back of a ceramic tile or similar unglazed material. The rocks and minerals are presented in alphabetical order with their assigned numbers shown to the left. Through trial and observation, you can determine your minerals hardness, a key identification factor. General geology of the western united states a laboratory manual by. B deposition, compaction and cementing of sediments. Hardness is the ability of a mineral to resist abrasion. Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and a crystal lattice structure. Minerals, earth science education, geology, educational activities created date. Print a read and math workbook with identifying minerals reading comprehension.
Many times a sample does not leave a color streak however, or is harder than the streak plate. Cementation of sedimentary rocks is the result of the chemical named. Objectives students will know that minerals are identified by using different properties such as color, luster, streak, cleavage, and hardness. Identifying minerals lab activity neshaminy school district. Mineral identification lab deer valley unified school district. Other properties mineral white 1cleavage earthy or pearly luster. Identifying rocks and minerals using the mohs hardness test. Although thousands of minerals in the earth have been identified, just ten minerals make up most of the volume of the earths crustplagioclase, quartz, orthoclase, amphibole. Charoite is a purple silicate mineral, found only in russia, used as a gem material. You will learn the three types of rocks and find out the properties used to identify and classify minerals. Most are relatively obvious, but some minerals can exhibit a range of lusters ex. Quite a few minerals are easily fusible in the flame of a candle or typical cigarette lighter. Minerals with cleavage break along smooth, flat surfaces. Mineral identification gizmo answer key pdf best of all, they are entirely free to find, use and download, so there is no cost or stress at all.
Mineralogists use mohs scale as a reference for mineral hardness. Density and hardness are two of several physical mineral properties that are easily investigated and can be used to identify minerals. You can also use other physical properties of an unknown mineral specimen such as color, luster, streak, and specific gravity to help. This webpage provides a compilation of online instructional resources and teaching activities related to optical mineralogy and petrography.
Scratched talc by fingernail scratched by penny yellow brown earthy fracture earthy luster, yellow to almost black. Quick assays in mineral identification freie universitat berlin. Rock and mineral identification for engineers fhwa us. Use it and any other resources you might have to identify the ten minerals, and list your findings on the sheet below. How to identify rocks and minerals this booklet also available in color at. A minerals color may change, but its streak is always the same. For this identification procedure, three characteristics of minerals will be of major importance. Rocks and minerals page 5 of 51 knowledge and skills what students are expected to know and be able to do the knowledge and skills are aligned with wallingfords scope and sequence.
Identifying minerals using hardness and density by rachel dolbier revised by rachel micander, nevada bureau of mines and geology 2017 key concept. An introduction to this package with all contents listed can be. Minerals are categorized by the use of descriptive criteria. Mineral tests are several methods which can help identify the mineral type. The tests students perform are streak test, acid test using vinegar, hardness test using the mohs scale, light properties translucent, transparent and opaq. Calcite is a carbonate mineral with industrial, agricultural, medical and many other uses.
Remember that glass can be almost any color, including black, so dont be fooled by the color. There are over 4000 types of minerals known with each one with different subclasses. Pdf mineral identification gizmo answer key pdf mineral identification gizmo answer key or just about any type of ebooks, for any type of product. The most common physical properties are crystal form, color, hardness, cleavage, and specific gravity. Identifying minerals reading comprehension worksheet.
However, color often varies widely and is the least reliable property for identification. Iswi earth science presentation for identifying minerals. Mineral identification procedure since minerals are the components of rocks, their identification is an integral part of proper rock identification. When identifying a rock you must first identify the individual minerals that make up that rock. Also, minerals which are harder than a streak plate will not be powdered during a streak test. Animated pdfs showing optical properties of minerals john brady, smith college. To discover how various types of rocks form with specialized knowledge of one particular type of rock. Mineral properties revised on 8272012 page 3 of vitreous lusteris like that of glass, shiny and translucent to transparent. Jan 27, 2015 an overview of the tests that can help you to identify a mineral sample. A small, sharp, splinter held in the flame either melts. The scale lists common minerals in order of their relative hardness.
The hardness of a mineral is a good tool for helping to identify it. Collecting minerals can be a fun hobby, partly because there are so many types to identify. Because of this, luster is the first fundamental test to be made when identifying any mineral. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website.
This color will help to determine the minerals identification. The mineral identification key fusibility is a measure of how much heat it takes to melt a mineral into a globule, or at least to melt the sharp edge of a sharp splinter and make it round over. Looking at more than one property is important when identifying minerals. Minerals are classified on the basis of their chemical composition, which is expressed in their physical properties. High school earth scienceidentification of minerals. The mohs hardness scale is the main scale to measure mineral hardness. Can minerals with cleavage have more than one cleavage plane. Hardness scale is talc is 1, gypsum is 2, calcite is 3, fluorite is 4, apatite is 5, orthoclase feldspar is 6, quartz is 7, topaz is 8, corundum is 9 and diamond is 10. Its purpose is to introduce the basic tests and mineral properties that you will have to understand in order to identify minerals and later, rocks.
Minerals definition, types, and identification department. Density and hardness are two of several physical mineral properties that are easily investigated and can be. There is an attached listing of the major properties of the most commonly found minerals. This is probably the most easily observed property of minerals. Elements make minerals and minerals make rocks so actually testing minerals in the lab and in the field is essential to understand the history of the rock. A physical property is something you can see, feel, taste, or smell. Be sure to record your data in your data section of your report. Terms in this set 4 can all minerals produce a streak on a porcelain plate.
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