A.

Mineral Properties
1. Luster it is the quality and intensity of reflected light exhibited by the mineral a. Metallic
generally opaque and exhibit a resplendent shine similar to a polished metal b. Non-metallic
vitreous (glassy), adamantine (brilliant/diamond-like), resinous, silky, pearly, dull (earthy),
greasy, etc.
2. Hardness it is a measure of the resistance of a mineral (not specifically surface) to abrasion.
3. Color and streak Color maybe a unique identifying property of certain minerals (e.g. malachite
green, azurite blue). There are also lots of minerals that share similar or the same color/s. In
addition, some minerals can exhibit a range of colors. The mineral quartz for example, can be
pink (rose quartz), purple (amethyst), orange (citrine), white (colorless quartz) etc. Streak on
the other hand is the color of a mineral in powdered form. Note that the color of a mineral
could be different from the streak. For example, pyrite (FeS2) exhibits golden color (hence the
other term of pyrite which is Fools Gold) but has a black or dark gray streak. Streak is a better
diagnostic property as compared to color. Streak is inherent to almost every mineral. Color
maybe unreliable for identification as impurities within the minerals may give the minerals a
different color.
4. Crystal Form/Habit The external shape of a crystal or groups of crystals is displayed / observed
as these crystals grow in open spaces. The form reflects the supposedly internal structure (of
atoms and ions) of the crystal (mineral). It is the natural shape of the mineral before the
development of any cleavage or fracture. Examples include prismatic, tabular, bladed, platy,
reniform and equant. A mineral that do not have a crystal structure is described as amorphous.
The crystal form also define the relative growth of the crystal in 3 dimension which are its
length, width and height
5. Cleavage It is the property of some minerals to break along parallel repetitive planes of
weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces. These planes of weakness are inherent in the bonding
of atoms that makes up the mineral. These planes of weakness are parallel to the atomic planes
and appear to be repeating within the mineral. When minerals break evenly in more than one
direction, cleavage is described by the number of cleavage directions and the angle(s) between
planes (e.g. cleavage in 2 directions at 90 degrees to each other)
It is important to clearly differentiate a crystal habit from cleavage. Although both are dictated
by crystal structure, crystal habit forms as the mineral is growing, therefore relies on how the
individual atoms in the crystal come together. Cleavage on the other hand is the weak plane
that developed after the crystal is formed.
6. Fracture Some minerals may not have cleavages but exhibit broken surfaces that are irregular
and non-planar. Quartz for example has an inherent weakness in the crystal structure that is
not planar. Examples of fracture are conchoidal, fibrous, hackly, and uneven among others.
7. Specific Gravity It is the ratio of the weight of a mineral to the weight of an equal volume of
water. A bucket of silver (SG 10) would weigh 10 times more than a bucket of water (SG 1). It is
a measure to express the density (mass per unit volume) of a mineral. The specific gravity of a
mineral is numerically equal to density.
8. Others There are certain unique properties of minerals that actually help in their identification
(e.g. magnetism, odor, taste, tenacity, reaction to acid, etc.). Magnetite is strongly magnetic;
sulfur has distinctive smell; halite is salty; calcite fizzes with acid as with dolomite but in
powdered