MINERALS

What Is A Mineral?

A mineral is solid natural material that is made from non living substances
in the ground .Minerals are made up of elements. An element is a pure substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler substance.Gold is an element.Aluminum,Oxygen ,hydrogen,
and iron are also elements.Some minerals are made one element others are made from two.

Where Are Minerals Found?

Minerals are found in nature underground. Minerals are NOT made.Some minerals are found in ore,ore is stone that contains useful mineral.

Properties Of Minerals 1

The color of a mineral is the color of the surface of the mineral.Streak is the color of the powder left when the mineral is rubbed or dragged on a rough surface.the color of the mineral and the streak of the mineral often different.

Properties Of Minerals 2

Luster is the way a mineral reflects light from it's surface.There are two different kinds of luster.There's minerals with metallic luster,these minerals look shiny and cool.Then there's nonmetallic luster.Minerals with nonmetallic luster look less shiny and more dull.Those minerals may look waxy,pearly,earthy,oily,or silky.

Properties Of Minerals 3

Hardness is a measure of how well a mineral resists scratching.On Moh's hardness scale a mineral's hardness is rated on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 is of course the softest and 10 is the hardest.A mineral with a higher number will scratch a mineral with a lower number.

Properties Of Minerals 4

When a mineral is brokenthe appearance of the surfaces of the mineral can help identify it.When the surfaces are smooth,the property that mineral has is cleavage.Cleavage is described by the number of planes along which the mineral breaks.Fracture is the property a mineral shows when it has an uneven or rough surface.

6 SUPER FUN FACTS

• Coal and Amber are not minerals.
• Steel is not a mineral is because it is made from iron and carbon
• Gold nuggets come in more than one color
• Diamond is the hardest substance on Earth but not in the universe
• There are over 4,000 different kinds of minerals
• Only 30 of these are commonly found on the Earth's crust

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