Identification of Minerals

RocksForKids.com

Identifying Minerals
Difference between rocks & minerals
Field Guides & Mineral Books
Mineral Identification
Properties of Minerals
Color
Luster
Specific Gravity
Crystal Form
Cleavage
Fracture
Tenacity
Hardness
Transmitting Light
Streak
Glossary of Words & Phrases

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROCKS & MINERALS

It is not easy to tell the difference between rocks & minerals
because there are so many kinds of them. It takes years of
study to be able to accurately identify a mystery rock and even
then rockhounds want to know where the specimen came
from. For more information see How Rocks & Minerals are
Formed

ROCKS
All rocks are made of 2 or more minerals, but
minerals are not made of rocks.
Rock Words: There are many common names for rocks and the
usually give you an idea of how big the rock is. Here are a few:
mountain - huge, giant hunk of rock that is still
attached to the earth's crust, doesn't move, tall
boulder - large, taller than a person
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Identification of Minerals

rock - large, you could get your arms around it or a bit

smaller but it is usually jagged,
broken off a bigger piece of rock
river rock - round rocks that are along the edge & at
the bottom of fast-flowing rivers
stone - medium, you could hold it in two hands
pebble - small, you can hold it with two fingers, could
get stuck in your shoe, usually rounded
sand - made up of tiny pieces of rock, grains of sand
grain - tiny, like a grain of rice or smaller, often found
on a beach
dust - really fine powder that is mixed in with sand or
soil
speck - as in a speck of dirt
For an excellent Rock Identification Test, click on http://www.
bwctc.northants.sch.uk/html/projects/science/ks34/rocks/
key.html

MINERALS
A mineral is the same all the way through. That is one
reason we speak of
a sample or a specimen rather than a rock.
There are about 3000 known minerals on earth.
All rocks are made up of 2 or more of these minerals.
For a good explanation of the difference between rocks &
minerals, check out http://www.rocks-and-minerals.com/

FIELD GUIDES - Books to help you identify rocks & minerals

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Identification of Minerals

Most rockhounds start out by just looking at rocks and getting

to know them. But after a while, you're going to want to know
more.
Field Guides are a great source of information. There are a
number of other field guides available including specific guides
to fossil and gemstones. Some excellent field guides are:
Simon & Schusters Guide to Rocks and Minerals (ISBN
0-671-24417-5), my personal favourite.
Eyewitness Handbooks Rocks & Minerals (ISBN 0-77372575-X), a fabulous book for the beginning rockhound.

BOOKS ON ROCKS & MINERALS

For kids, there are a variety of books on rocks & minerals.
Some really good ones are:
Eyewitness Books Rocks & Minerals (ISBN 0-7737-21800)
Looking at pictures of rocks & minerals & getting familiar with
what they look like will also help you identify minerals. For
photographs on the web of minerals, check out the Mineral
Identification web sites listed below.

MINERAL IDENTIFICATION
Mineralogy Database
Mineral Identification Maintained in Australia
Minerals by Class Maintained by Amethyst Galleries Inc.
Minerals by Name Maintained by Amethyst Galleries Inc.

PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

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Identification of Minerals

Characteristics used in the identification & study of minerals.

These are the most common characteristics used when
describing minerals.
Color this varies depending on the chemicals present
and is the least informative in identifying a mineral
variety
Luster what the surface looks like in the light
Specific Gravity how heavy it feels, heft
Crystal Form shape of crystal, shape the mineral
would take if it had room to grow in a cavity,
not massive some minerals have a number of different
crystal shapes
Cleavage pattern when mineral is broken in planes or
conchoidal
Fracture
Tenacity - toughness, how cohesive the mineral is, if it
falls apart
Hardness what it can scratch & what scratches it
Transparency - The ability to transmit light. Depending
on a number of things,
rocks & minerals can also transmit light.
Many rocks that are opaque when in a chunk, are
translucent when cut into very thin slices.
Gems stones are often valued on how clear, or
transparent they are.
Special Properties magnetism, chatoyancy,
fluorescence, odor, streak, burn test, conductivity

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COLOR

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Identification of Minerals

Although most people think of color as an important

characteristic of a specimen, it is not very useful in
identifying a mineral.
color is one of the physical properties most commonly
used to describe minerals,
but it is not a very good property to use to identify
minerals
some minerals are nearly always the same color like
azurite (blue) and sulfur (yellow)
many minerals come in a variety of colors the
changes are caused by
slight chemical impurities or through exposure to
heat
color can change when the surface is exposed to
moisture & air it tarnishes or oxidizes
some minerals have common names (varietal
names) that describe a specimen
with a certain color
eg. Quartz rock crystal (colorless), smoky quartz
(brown), citrine (yellow), amethyst (violet),
rose quartz (pink)
color can be described as metallic or non-metallic
and is often described along with
luster though they are 2 different characteristics
rocks are often distinctive or named because of a
certain color which occurs because of
their mineral content
Color Grouping
METALLIC
golden, golden yellow
bronze
copper, copper-red
silver, silvery-yellow, silvery-gray,
bright silver, dark silver, black
peacock feathers, rainbow
NON-METALLIC
colorless
white, beige, creamy, dirty-white,
snow white

Rock & Mineral Example

gold, pyrite
chalcopyrite, nickel ore
copper
antimony, galena, manganite, silver
bornite, peacock ore
barite, quartz, rock crystal, selenite
calcite, gypsum, muscovite mica,
quartz, stilbite, talc

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Identification of Minerals

barite rose, calcite, cancrinite,

celestite, jasper, siderite,
sphalerite, , sulfur
amazonite feldspar, apatite,
green, turquoise green, moss
bloodstone, emerald, epidote,
green, lime green
fluorite, grossular garnet, jade,
malachite, turquoise
azurite, celestite, kyanite,
blue, sky blue, turquoise blue, pale
labradorite, lapis lazuli, sodalite,
blue, steel blue, deep blue
turquoise
almandine garnet, amethyst,
red, purple, maroon, violet,
apatite, dolomite, feldspar,
mauve, pink, burgundy, reddishfluorite, halite, lepidolite,
brown
rhodonite, rose quartz, ruby
biotite mica, diopside,
black, brown-black, dark gray, gray fluororichterite, hornblende,
titanite
yellow, orange, brown, brownybeige

Other words to describe the intensity of colors:

dark, very dark, light, pale
deep
dull, shiny
bright
Words that describe how color is distributed:
streaked
splotchy, mottled, speckled
layered, banded

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LUSTER

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Identification of Minerals

Words used to describe the way light reflects off of the surface of a
mineral:
Words
dull /
earthy
waxy

Description
Example
very dull, mainly in
kaolinite, orthoclase
minerals that are porous
like the surface of a
opal, chalcedony
candle

greasy /
oily

nepheline

like a pearl, play of

talc, muscovite mica
colors, light
has a shiny surface like a some varieties of gypsum, kernite,
silky
piece of silk cloth
ulexite & in fibrous minerals
quartz, many rock-forming minerals,
glassy /
looks like glass
obsidian "natures glass"
vitreous
looks like freshly-broken
shellac, usually yellow- sphalerite
resinous
brown
high luster, almost
sphalerite
adamantine
brilliant, "diamond-like"
silvery or metallic luster
but mineral is
subtransparent or
hematite
metallic
translucent when in
small slivers
very shiny, like
processed metals, highly
pyrite, gold, silver
metallic
reflective, opaque
minerals
pearly

Other words that describe luster:

shiny, sparkly
shimmering, opalescent
frosted, milky

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SPECIFIC GRAVITY
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Identification of Minerals

Specific Gravity (SG) indicates how many times more the mineral weighs
compared to an equal amount of water (SG 1).
So if you have a bucket of silver, it would weigh 10 times as
much as a bucket of water.
If you have a bucket of calcite, it would only weigh about 2
1/2 times as much as a bucket of water.
That is why we think of metals as being "heavy".
They are heavy compared to other things that we are used
to picking up.
This is also known as the "heft" of an object.
The average rock you would pick up has an SG of about 2.75
because most of the earths crust is made up of quartz,
calcite & feldspar.
When something feels heavy, it feels heavier than expected
for something of that size.
How hefty a specimen feels has to do with how dense it is,
its mass compared to its volume.
Description
very light
light
average
above
average /
slightly heavy
heavy
very heavy

SG Mineral Examples
< 2 borax
2gypsum, halite, selenite, ulexite
2.5
2 calcite, dolomite, feldspar, muscovite mica, quartz, talc,
3 turquoise,
3biotite mica
4
4 almandine garnet, apatite, barite, celestite, chalcopyrite,
5 fluorite
5
galena, hematite, magnetite, nickel-iron, pyrite
10

extremely
heavy even for >
gold, silver
a metallic
10
mineral
20
super heavy
must be platinum!
+

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Identification of Minerals

Gemstones are sold by weight. A chart that relates to the specific gravity of
gemstones can be found at:
http://www.gemselect.com:80/calibrated-size/calibrated-size-chart.php
Because of specific gravity, that means that 2 different gems that are the
same size weigh different amounts.
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CRYSTAL FORM
When minerals have the time & space to grow into their
crystal forms,
they grow to beautiful regular shapes that are easy to
recognize once you have seen a few examples.
Some words used to describe crystal forms or shapes are:
acicular / radiating needles ~ crystals that grow in fine
needles

blebs ~ rounded blobs

botryoidal ~ looks like top of bunch of grapes

concretion ~ spherical, round shape that is solid,

the same all the way through or filled with layers or
agate
cubic ~ 6 equal, square faces
dendritic ~ branching, tree-like, looks like the veins

in a leaf or like a painted tree shape

dodecahedron ~ 12 sided, like a 12 sided die

dog-tooth ~ shaped like the canine tooth, like a dog's

tooth

fibrous ~ looks like fibers, threads, parallel lines

geode ~ spherical, round shape that is hollow
inside, often lined with crystals

hexagonal prism with pyramid termination ~

hexagonal cross-section, with pointy ends (terminations)

hexagonal prism with rounded ends ~ 6 sided

cross-section, with rounded ends
hexagonal pyramid ~ sharp 6 sided pyramid, often
seen in clusters
mamilliary ~ rounded like botryoidal but a bit bigger
than a bunch of grapes

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Identification of Minerals

massive ~ a chunk of mineral with no crystal shape

evident

octahedral ~ 8 sided
prismatic ~ like a prism with flat ends, longer than it

is wide
pyritohedral ~ 12 sided with 5 sided pentagon faces
rose shaped ~ looks like a flattened flower or rose
with petals
tabular ~ divide easily into thin plates or sheets, a
stack is know as a book

termination ~ the end of a complete crystal

CLEAVAGE
Cleavage is when a mineral breaks with smooth flat surfaces.
Cleavage can be described as perfect, good, imperfect, poor.
It can also be described as:
Perfect 1 way ~ breaks on one perfect cleavage plane,
crystals break into slices, sheets peel off
Perfect 2 ways ~ breaks into elongated boxy shapes, 90
degree angles
Perfect 3 ways ~ breaks into perfect rhombs, pieces
look like squished boxes
No cleavage ~ does not break regularly

FRACTURE

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Identification of Minerals

Fracture is when a mineral breaks, but the surface is not

regular, does not show cleavage.
Words that describe what a break in a rock or mineral looks
like:
conchoidal ~ curved break like what happens with
thick glass or bottle bottom, shell shaped,
can be rough or smooth
jagged ~ metals, sharp point that scratches or snags
fingertips, hackly
splintery ~ fibrous
uneven ~ rough surface, not smooth

TENACITY
Tenacity is how tough a mineral is, how easily a mineral will break,
split, crumble or change shape. Terms used to describe this trait are:
elastic ~ can be bent & when let go they resume their
previous shape ~ mica
ductile ~ can be pulled to make very thin threads ~ gold
flexible
fragile ~ break into pieces easily
friable ~ crumbles easily
malleable ~ flatten out into thin sheets without
breaking ~ gold
sectile ~ can be cut with a blade to make shavings ~
gypsum
tough

HARDNESS

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Identification of Minerals

MOHS SCALE OF HARDNESS - a scale devised by Friedrich

Mohs
Scratching tools:
fingernail (2.2)
copper penny (3.5)
pocket knife or common nail (5.2)
piece of glass (5.5)
steel file or concrete nail (7.5)
piece of corundum (9)
Notes for testing:
Each mineral can scratch the minerals with lower
hardness ratings.
Each mineral can scratch itself.
Dont press hard, normal scratching should do.
Weathered surfaces are softer.
Corners or edges of crystals are softer.
Small pieces seem softer than large pieces.
When you scratch, take a close look at the scratch line
which often looks white.
Is it really a scratch or is it a powder line made from
the tool you used
because it was softer than the item you were trying to
scratch?
Rating
1 Very
Soft
2 Soft
3 Soft
4 SemiHard
5 Hard
6 Hard
7 Very
Hard

Description
Easily crumbles. Can be scratched
with a fingernail (2.2)
Can be scratched with a fingernail
(2.2)
Can be scratched with a copper
penny (3.5)
Can be scratched with a common
nail (5.2)
Can be scratched with a common
nail (5.2).
N. B. Mineral of hardness 6 or more
will scratch glass.
Can be scratched with a concrete
nail (7.5).

Mineral Example
Talc
Gypsum, Soapstone
Calcite
Fluorite
Apatite
Feldspar
Quartz

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Identification of Minerals

8 Very
Topaz
Hard
9
Used in industrial tools for cutting,
Corundum
Extremely
grinding & sanding.
Hard
Diamond is used to cut all minerals
10 The
Diamond
Hardest including diamonds.
For a more detailed article about HARDNESS, click here.
A good site that discusses hardness in gems and minerals can
be found at http://www.gemselect.com:80/gem-info/gemhardness-info.php

TOP

TRANSPARENCY ~ Transmitting Light Through Minerals

A mineral can be:

transparent

translucent

clear, see right

through it
when it is
sliced thin
celestite, quartz (rock crystal),
called
selenite
"gemmy",
desirable for
gemstones
see shapes &
shadows
through it
when it is
sliced thin
calcite, quartz, sphalerite
chemical
impurities can
cause the
mineral to be
cloudy

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Identification of Minerals

cant see light

through it at
all when it is
metals, gypsum
sliced thin
rarely used for
gemstones

opaque

STREAK
TOP

GLOSSARY of Words & Phrases

Basic Definitions
acicular / radiating needles ~ crystals that grow in fine needles
adamantine ~ very shiny like a gemmy crystal, almost brilliant
botryoidal ~ looks like top of bunch of grapes
chatoyant ~ shines like a cats eye because of fibers
chemicals ~ everything on earth is made up of the 103 known
chemical elements, including rocks, mineral,
air, water, plants & animals
cleavage ~ the property to break along smooth lines or planes,
the mineral has a shape it wants to be &
breaks along those lines to keep that shape
conchoidal ~ curved break like what happens with thick glass or
bottle bottom, shell shaped, can be rough or smooth
concretion ~ spherical mass that is separate from the rock
around it, usually weathers out of host rock,
grows from the inside out
crystal shape ~ the form or habit of a mineral, the shape that
the mineral takes if it has the time & space
to grow properly
crystals ~ minerals that form slowly have a distinctive crystal
shape
cubic ~ 6 equal, square faces
dendritic ~ branching, tree-like growths
dog-tooth ~ shaped like the canine tooth, like a dog's tooth
dull / earthy ~ very dull, mainly in minerals that are porous
earth's Crust ~ the earth's crust is made of solid, hardened rocks
& minerals

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Identification of Minerals

erosion ~ the process through which mountains are broken down

into boulders & sand
fossil ~ the remains of plants & animals that have been replaced
by minerals
fracture ~ is the way a mineral breaks when it wont break on a
cleavage plane
gemstones ~ rocks & minerals that have been cut & polished,
used for decoration and are usually rare and
valuable
geode ~ a sphere with a hollow inside, often lined with crystals,
grows from the outside in
geologist ~ a scientist that studies rocks & minerals and the
earth sciences
glassy ~ shiny like glass, found in 70% of minerals, vitreous
hardness ~ how easy it is to scratch a mineral
hexagonal prism with pyramid termination ~ hexagonal crosssection, with pointy ends
igneous ~ rocks made from fire & heat, liquid magma that has
cooled to form rocks
luster ~ how shiny something is; words used to describe the way
light reflects off of the surface of a specimen
massive ~ a mineral with no distinct crystal shape, large chunk
of inter-grown minerals
matrix ~ the host rock that a mineral specimen or crystal is
found in or on, bedrock
metallic ~ shiny like polished metal, highly reflective, usually
opaque
metamorphic ~ igneous or sedimentary rocks that have been
changed through extreme heat &
pressure due to movement of the earths crust
mineral ~ non-living matter, chemically the same all the way
through
minerals ~ all rocks are made of one or more of the 3000 known
minerals
no cleavage ~ does not break regularly
opaque ~ cannot see through it at all, blocks all light, casts a
solid shadow, acts like a wall
paleontologist ~ a scientist who studies paleontology, learning
about the forms of life that existed in former
geologic periods, chiefly by studying fossils
pearly ~ like a pearl, play of colors on surface

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Identification of Minerals

physical properties ~ the common visible and tangible

characteristics used in the identification & study
of minerals
rockhound ~ a lover of rocks, minerals & fossils who collects
specimens in the field
rocks ~ non-living matter, made of 2 or more minerals
rock cycle ~ rocks are constantly forming, wearing down and
forming again, very slowly however
schiller ~ colors shimmer or flash when the light hits the surface
in a certain way
sedimentary ~ layers of sand, clay & bits of rock laid down by
water & turned to rock, often contains fossils
specific gravity ~ how heavy something feels when compared to
what you would expect,
heft, weight, mass, density
sub-metallic ~ soft shine like dull metal
tabular ~ divide easily into thin sheets, a stack is know as a
book
termination ~ the point at the end of a crystal
translucent ~ see shadows and shapes through it when held up
to the light, details not clear, is frosted or
cloudy, like looking through wax paper or light
transparency ~ describes if you can see through something or not
transparent ~ clear, see through clearly all the way, like a plain
window glass or clear plastic wrap,
gemmy like a gemstone
uneven fracture ~ rough surface, not smooth
vitreous ~ shiny like glass, found in 70% of minerals, glassy
waxy ~ looks softly shiny like wax, like the surface of a wax
candle
For a Geological Dictionary go to http://www.geologyshop.co.uk/dictio~1.htm

Attention Grade 4 Ontario teachers in the Greater Toronto Area:

Book a school visit for your rocks & minerals unit with Rock Talks by Rockhounds!
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