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.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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