| A | B |
|---|
| mineral | A naturally-occuring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure & a definite chemical composition. |
| inorganic | Not formed from living things or the remains of living things. |
| crystal | A solid in which the atoms are arranged in a patter that repeats again & again. |
| element | A substance composed of a single kind of atom. |
| compound | A substance in which two or more elements are chemically joined. |
| Mohs hardness scale | A scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest. |
| streak | The color of a mineral's powder. |
| luster | The way a mineral reflects light from its surface. |
| cleavage | A mineral's ability to split easily along flat surfaces. |
| fracture | The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart. |
| fluorescence | The property of a mineral in which the mineral glows under ultraviolet light. |
| solution | A mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another. |
| vein | A narrow slab of a mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock. |
| gemstone | A hard, colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster. |
| ore | Rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral. |
| smelting | The process by which ore is melted to separate the useful metal from other elements. |
| alloy | A solid mixture of two or more metals. |
