| A | B |
|---|
| mineral | a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and an orderly arrangement of atoms |
| crystal | a solid in which the atoms are arranged in orderly, repeating patterns |
| magma | hot, melted rock material beneath Earth's surface |
| silicate | minerals that contain the elements silicon and oxygen and usually one or more other elements |
| hardness | a measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched |
| ore | a mineral or rock that contains a useful substance that can be mined at a profit |
| specific gravity | the ratio of a mineral's weight compared with the weight of an equal volume of water |
| streak | the color of a mineral when it is in a powdered form |
| cleavage | a physical property of some minerals that causes them to break along smooth, flat surfaces |
| fracture | a physical property of some minerals that causes them to break with uneven, rough, or jagged surfaces |
| gem | highly prized minerals because they are rare and beautiful |
| luster | the way a mineral reflects light |
| atoms | tiny particles that make up matter |
| inorganic | being or composed of matter that does not come from plants or animals either alive or dead |
| element | natural or man made material that cannot be broken down into simpler materials (ex. oxygen (O), sodium (Na) |
| compound | a substance produced when elements combine and whose properties are different from each of the elements in it (ex. water H2O, salt NaCl) |
