| A | B |
|---|
| crystal | a solid in which atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats over and over again |
| element | a substance composed of a single kind of atom |
| mineral | a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition |
| compound | a substance in which 2 or more elements are chemically joined |
| naturally occurring | not man-made; found in nature |
| inorganic | not formed from living things or from the remains of living things |
| solid | has a definite shape and volume |
| crystal structure | the particles of a mineral that line up in a certain pattern that is repeated over and over |
| chemical composition | a mineral always contains certain elements in specific percentages |
| hardness | the property of a mineral that says how hard it is |
| color | the characteristic of a mineral that describes its color |
| streak | the color of a mineral's powder |
| luster | the way a miineral reflects light from its surface |
| density | the amount of mass in a given space |
| crystal systems | the 6 specific shapes that a minerals crystals grow in |
| 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 |
| special properties of minerals | radioactivity, fluorescence, magnetism, electrical energy and chemical reactivity |
| solution | a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another |
| vein | a narrow slab of mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock |
| prospecting | searching for an ore deposit |
| ore | rock that contains metal or an economically useful mineral |
| gemstone | a hard, colorful mineral that has a glassy luster |
| alloy | a solid mixture of 2 or more metals |
| smelting | the process by which ore is melted to separate useful metal from other materials |
| mining | working to get ore deposits out of the ground |
| Moh's hardness scale | a scale ranking 10 minerals from softest to hardest |
| gem | the result when a gemstone is cut and polished into a thing of beauty |
