| A | B |
|---|
| Mineral | A naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition |
| Naturally Occurring | Mineral must be formed by processes that occur in the natural world |
| Inorganic | Mineral cannot arise from materials that were once part of a living thing |
| Solid | Mineral must have a definite volume and shape |
| Crystal | Solid formed by the repeating pattern of a mineral's particles; has faces |
| Definite Chemical Composition | Mineral always contains certain elements in definite proportions |
| Element | Substance composed of a single kind of atom |
| Compound | Two or more elements are combined so that the elements no longer have distinct properties |
| Mineral Identification | Color, Streak, Luster, Density, Hardness, Crystal Systems, Cleavage, Fracture |
| Mohs Hardness Scale | Ranks minerals from softest to hardest |
| Streak | The color of a mineral's powder; observed by rubbing on a streak plate |
| Luster | How a mineral reflects light from its surface |
| Density | Mass per unit volume |
| Cleavage | A mineral's ability to split easily along flat surfaces |
| Fracture | The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way |
| Crystallization | The process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure |
| Two ways in which minerals can form | 1) Crystallization of magma/lava; 2) Crystallization of materials dissolved in water |
| Minerals from Magma/Lava | When these liquids cool to a solid state, they form crystals |
| Size of crystal depends on: | 1) The rate at which magma/lava cools; 2) The amount of gas the magma/lava contains; 3) The chemical composition of the magma/lava |
| Solution | A mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another |
| Minerals formed by Evaporation | When ancient seas slowly evaporated, minerals formed |
| Minerals from hot water solutions | Elements that form minerals dissolve in hot water underground; when the solution cools, the elements crystallize as minerals |
| Vein | A narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is different from the surrounding rock; usually pure metals |
| Gemstones | Hard, colorful minerals that have a brilliant or glassy luster |
| Ore | A rock that contains a metal or other useful mineral that can be mined and sold at a profit |
| Prospector | Anyone who searches for ore deposits |
| Strip Mining | Earthmoving equipment scrapes away soil to expose ore |
| Open Pit Mining | Miners use giant earthmoving equipment to dig a tremendous pit and remove ore deposits |
| Shaft Mining | A network of tunnels extend deep into the ground, following the veins of ore |
| Smelting | The process where an ore is mixed with other substances and then melted to separate the useful metal from other elements the ore contains |
| Alloy | A solid mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal |
