| A | B |
|---|
| alloy | a substance made of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal,that has the properties of metal |
| cleavage | a mineral's ability to split easily allong flat surfaces |
| compound | a substance made of two or more elements chemically |
| crystal | a solid in which atoms or ions are arranged in a three-dimensional pattern that repeats again and again |
| element | a substance composed of a single kind of atom. Elements cannot be broken into other substances by chemical or physical means |
| flourescence | the property of a mineral in which the mineral glows under ultraviolet light |
| fracture | the way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way |
| gemstone | a hard, colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster |
| inorganic | not formed from living things or the remains of living things |
| luster | the way a mineral reflects light from its surface |
| Mohs hardness scale | a scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest; used in testing the hardness of minerals |
| mineral | a naturally occurring inorganic solid that has a crstal structure and a definite chemical composition |
| ore | rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral |
| smelting | the process by which ore is melted to seperate the useful metal from other elements |
| solution | a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another |
| streak | the color of a mineral's powder |
| vein | a narrow slab of a mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock |
