| A | B |
|---|
| mineral | a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition |
| inorganic | the mineral cannot arise from materials that were once a part of a living thing |
| crystal | a repeating pattern of a mineral's particles forms a solid |
| element | a substance composed of a single kind of atom |
| compound | two or more elements are combined so that the elements no longer have distinct properties |
| Mohs hardness scale | a scale that ranks ten minerals from softest ot hardest |
| Talc | softest known mineral |
| diamond | hardest known mineral |
| apatite | medium soft/hard mineral |
| streak | the color of the mineral's powder |
| luster | how a mineral reflects light from its surface |
| density | the mass in a given space |
| crystal system | the "shape" of each crystal inside the mineral |
| cleavage | how the atoms in its crystal is arranged determines this, how it splits easily along flat surfaces |
| fracture | how a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way |
| fluorescence | minerals that flow under ultraviolet light |
