Rocks and Minerals Identifying Minerals: Characterizing minerals' physical properties by Anne E. Egger, Ph.D. Reading Quiz Teach with this 1. Which of the following physical properties is likely to be most useful in identifying a mineral? (Note: although they are all potentially useful, choose the one you think is most consistently useful.) color luster hardness crystal form 2. In order to identify a mineral, it is necessary to determine its chemical composition. true false 3. Which of the following minerals is the hardest according to the Mohs' scale? quartz calcite fluorite gypsum 4. You encounter a clear mineral in a vein within a rock, which your instructor tells you is either quartz, calcite, or gypsum. You can scratch it with your pocketknife, but not your fingernail. Which is it? gypsum calcite quartz can't tell from the information 5. All minerals have cleavage. true false 6. Quartz occurs in many different colors and rock types. Which of the following properties is most likely to help you identify quartz, no matter what color it is? density crystal form conchoidal fracture cleavage 7. James Dana developed a classification scheme for minerals based on chemical composition hardness location of occurrence color 8. Crystal form refers to the angles between crystal faces, not to the absolute size and shape of a crystal. true false 9. Why isn't color alone very useful in mineral identification? Many minerals have the same color. One mineral can have many different colors. The presence of one element can cause many colors. all of the answers 10. Which of the following groups of minerals is most common in the earth's crust? oxides silicates ore minerals sulfates Score Quiz
