Lab Exercise - Mineral Properties Uses and Identification

.pdf

School

California State University, Long Beach *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

104

Subject

Geology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

pdf

Pages

4

Uploaded by DoctorEchidna6113

Report
Geology Lab 1 Lab Exercise - Mineral Properties, Uses and Identification Name: Date: Part #1 1. List five characteristics that describe a mineral: 2. Luster – How a mineral reflects light. Include whether it is metallic or nonmetallic and whether the mineral is shiny/glassy or dull. a. Indicate whether the luster of each of the following materials is metallic (M) of nonmetallic (NM): a brick: magnet: ice: sharpen pencil lead: frying pan: a mirror: b. From your tray of minerals, how many of your specimens can be grouped into each of the following luster types? Metallic: Nonmetallic: 3. Light transmission – Ability of light to penetrate a mineral. If opaque, no light penetrates; if translucent, some light penetrates; if transparent, most light penetrates through a mineral. a. From your tray of minerals, how many of your specimens are transparent and how many are opaque and how many are translucent? Transparent: Opaque: Translucent: 4. Color – Combination of wavelengths of light absorbed and refracted from a mineral. Some minerals will always have the same color, but other minerals can have a variety of colors based on impurities within the minerals ’ crystalline structures. This is especially true for the “ colorless ” minerals like quartz and calcite. a. From your tray of minerals, select two of your mineral specimens and describe those that appear to be the same mineral but with variable colors: Mineral Name: Color Color Mineral Name:
Geology Lab 2 5. Streak – Color of powdered mineral on a porcelain streak plate. Metallic minerals always have a bold streak that is easy to see. 6. Hardness – Resistance of a mineral to being scratched by another substance. Geologist use Mohs Hardness Scale. Use the Mohs Hardness Scale (below) to answer questions #7 and #8: 7. A mineral can be scratched by a masonry nail or knife blade but cannot be scratched by a wire (iron) nail: a) Is this mineral hard or soft? b) What is the hardness number of this mineral on Mohs Scale? c) What mineral is this? 8. A mineral can scratch calcite and the same mineral can be scratched by a wire (iron) nail: a) What is the hardness number of this mineral on Mohs Scale? b) What mineral on Mohs Scale has this hardness? 9. Crystal Form – External appearance of a mineral determined by the bonding arrangements of the atoms in a mineral. For example, quartz has a hexagonal (six sided) form. But, when quartz is broken, this form will no longer be present because the shape does not exist on the inside of this mineral. 10. Breakage – How a mineral break. If breakage is random and uneven, then the mineral fractures . If the mineral breaks along pre-existing planes of weakness, called cleavage planes, then the breakage is called cleavage . Note that some mineral only fracture when they break, like quartz. Some minerals only cleave when they break, like halite. And some mineral cleave and fracture, like feldspar.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help