how to identify minerals in 10 steps
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HOW TO IDENTIFY MINERALS IN 10 STEPS
Step 1: Pick Your Minera
Photo Credit: Photo (c) 2011 Andrew Alden,
Learning mineral identifcation is like learning to cook. You begin by ollowing
step-by-step procedures and looking up a lot o things. But ater a while you
notice regularities, become amiliar with the usual suspects, make some
productive mistakes, and get better at it until it becomes easy and un.
Another way mineral identifcation is like cooking is that proessionals can go to
school, learn to use epensive e!uipment and master the sub"ect ully, yetamateurs can handle nearly all the common possibilities using "ust a ewsimple tools.The first thing to do is to observe and test your mineral.Use the largest piece you
can find, and if you have several pieces, make sure sure that they are all the same mineral. Examine
your mineral for all of the following properties, writing down the answers. After that you'll be ready
to take your information to the right place.
Step !: Lu"ter
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Luster is the way a mineral reflects light and the first key step in mineral identification. ook for
luster on a fresh surface. The three ma!or types of luster are metallic, glassy "vitreous# and dull. Aluster between metallic and glassy is called adamantine, and a uster between glassy and dull
is called resinous or waxy.
Step 3: Hardness
#se the $%-point &ohs #ar$ne"" scale. 'he important hardnesses are between( and ). *or this you+ll need your fngernail hardness about (, a coinhardness , a knie or nail hardness /./ and a ew key minerals.read about0ardness
Step 4: Color
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$olor is important in mineral identification, but it can be a complicated sub!ect. Experts use color
all the time because they have learned the usual colors and the usual exceptions for common
minerals. %f you're a beginner, pay close attention to color but do not rely on it. &irst of all, be sure
you aren't looking at a weathered or tarnished surface, and examine your specimen in good light.
$olor is a fairly reliable indicator in the opaue and metallic minerals(for instance the blue of the
opaue mineral la)urite or the brass*yellow of the metallic mineral pyrite. %n the translucent or
transparent minerals, color is usually the result of a chemical impurity and should not be the only
thing you use. &or instance, pure uart) is clear or white, but uart) can have many other colors.
Try to be precise with color. %s it a pale or deep shade+ oes it resemble the color of anothercommon ob!ect, like bricks or blueberries+ %s it even or mottled+ %s there one pure color or a range
of shades+
%f you have an ultraviolet light, this is the time to see if the mineral has a fluorescent color. -ake
note if it displays any other special optical effects.
Step 5: Streak
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Streak is the color o the fnely crushed mineral. 1treak is somewhat morereliable than color and is essential or a ew minerals. You+ll need a streak plateor something like it. A broken kitchen tile or even a handy sidewalk can do.1cratch your mineral across the 1treak plate with a scribbling motion.
Step 6: Crystal Form and Mineral Habit
A good knowledge o crystals is very helpul once you+re past the beginner
stage, but oten minerals do not display any crystal aces, so or simplicity+s
sake we+ll ignore it. *or beginners, a mineral+s crystal orm is less important
than its cleavage see the net step. 2hen you+re ready to learn this aspect ominerals, you+ll want a book.
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-agnetism is a distinctive property in a few minerals. -agnetite is the prime example, but a few
other minerals may be weakly attracted by a magnet, notably chromite "a black oxide# and
pyrrhotite "a bron)e sulfide#. Use a strong magnet. The magnets % use came from the corners of an
old plastic shower curtain. Another way to test magnetism is to see if the specimen attracts acompass needle.
Step #: $t!er Mineral %roperties
Ta"teis defnitive or halite rock salt , o course, but a ew other evaporite minerals
also have distinctive tastes. 4ust touch your tongue to a resh ace o themineral and be ready to spit5ater all it+s called taste, not 6avor. 7on+t worryabout taste i you don+t live in an area with these minerals.
Fi%% means the e8ervescent reaction o certain carbonate minerals to the acid
test. *or this test, vinegar will do.
He&t is how heavy a mineral eels in the hand, an inormal sense o density.
&ost minerals are about three times as dense as water, that is, they have a
specifc gravity o about . &ake note o a mineral that is noticeably light or
heavy or its si9e. :alena, on the right, is distinctly heavy. 1ulfdes and oides
tend to be dense.
Step &': Look (t )p
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/ow you are ready for mineral identification. 0nce you have observed and noted these mineral properties, you can take your information to a book or to an online resource. tart with my table of
the rock*forming minerals, because these are the most common and the ones you should learn first.
Each mineral's name is linked to a good photograph and notes to help you confirm the
identification. %f your mineral has metallic luster, go to my -inerals with -etallic uster gallery to
see the most likely minerals in this group. %f your mineral is not one of these, try the sources in the
-ineral %dentification 1uides category.