Names: _____________________, ______________________, ____________________

Lab: Mineral Identification and Explaining Properties

Pre-Lab Questions:

1. What do you think are Minerals?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read the following article and answer the questions below: https://geology.com/minerals/what-is-a-mineral.shtml

2. How do we use Minerals every day? Give 3 examples.

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3. What are the 5 requirements a true mineral has to meet? Explain each.

a) _______________________________ -____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b) ______________________________ - ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c) ______________________________ - ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

d) ______________________________ - ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e) _____________________________ - ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. List the Minerals that our body needs: __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What processes does our body need those minerals for? ___________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Part 1: Characteristics of Minerals

1. Examine the minerals provided by your teacher. Then make a list of all the characteristics you can use to describe the minerals. For example, color is a characteristic that may be used to describe a particular mineral. List at least 3-4 characteristics you think might be useful in describing minerals.

2. Now, sort the minerals into 2-4 groups using some of the characteristics you named. Explain how you decided to sort the minerals by describing the characteristics of each group you created.

Mineral Group

Characteristics

3. Read this text about minerals and create a revised list of characteristics (properties) based on what you learn from the text.

Part 2 : Identifying minerals based on their properties

Take a look at the minerals below. The properties of Diamond have already been filled in for you (since it’s unlikely there are enough samples to go around in your classroom!). Your teacher will provide you with a sample of Mystery Mineral X and mineral identification tools so that you can fill in the properties for Mystery Mineral X and identify it.

Diamond

Mystery Mineral X

Color: colorless

Color:

Luster: non-metallic

Luster:

Cleavage/Fracture:

Cleavage/Fracture:

Streak: white

Streak:

Hardness: 10

Hardness:

Common Uses:

jewelry

Common Uses:

Composition: carbon

Composition:

Mineral Name: diamond

Mineral Name:

Take a look at the minerals below. Your teacher will provide you with a sample of Mystery Mineral Y and mineral identification tools so that you can fill in the properties for Mystery Mineral Y and identify it.

Mystery Mineral Y

Diamond

Color:

Color:

Luster:

Luster: non-metallic

Cleavage/Fracture:

Cleavage/Fracture:

Streak:

Streak:

Hardness:

Hardness: 10

Common Uses:

Common Uses:

Jewelry

Composition:

Composition: Carbon

Mineral Name:

Mineral Name: Diamond

Explaining differences in mineral properties

1. Below are the crystal structures of diamond and quartz. Examine the structures carefully and note similarities and differences. What do you think accounts for the difference in properties of diamond and quartz?

Diamond

Quartz

silicon atom

oxygen atom

carbon atom

Explaining differences in mineral properties

1. Below are the crystal structures of graphite and diamond. Examine the structures carefully and note similarities and differences. What do you think accounts for the difference in properties of diamond and graphite?

Diamond

Graphite

carbon atom