GCSE Geology

The Physical Properties

of Minerals

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GCSE Geology
 The Physical Properties Of Minerals

GCSE Geology
 Colour

• Not particularly useful as a diagnostic property

• Some minerals show a wide variety of colours
• Quartz can be transparent, white, pink, brown, purple,
yellow, orange and even black
• Many minerals show very similar colours
• Calcite, plagioclase feldspar and halite are commonly grey
or white in colour

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 Lustre
The way in which minerals reflect light
Glassy, Metallic, Pearly or Dull

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 Glassy Lustre
Halite

The mineral reflects light like glass

Also known as vitreous lustre
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 Metallic Lustre

Galena

Minerals reflect light like metals

Metallic lustre often tarnishes to a dull lustre
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 Pearly Lustre

The lustre of a pearl or

mother of pearl

Biotite Mica

Shows clearly on the

cleavage surfaces of biotite
and muscovite mica

Muscovite Mica

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 Streak
The colour of a mineral’s powder
Obtained by rubbing a mineral
specimen on an unglazed white
porcelain tile or streak plate
Useful for identifying metallic ore
minerals
Silicates generally do not mark
the tile and have no streak
White minerals streaked on a white
tile will have a white streak
Any minerals harder than the streak
Haematite gives a red-brown streak plate (6) will scratch it

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 Relative Density*
Relative to an equal volume of distilled water at 4 degrees
centigrade. 1 litre = 1000g (1kg) 1 cubic centimetre = 1g
Controlled by the atomic weight of the constituent atoms
(chemical composition) and the packing (atomic structure)
A useful property for identifying metallic ore minerals, these
usually have relative densities over 5.0 and feel particularly
dense when hefted in the hand
For example Galena (7.4) Ore of lead and Haematite (5.5)
Ore of Iron
Most of the silicate minerals have relative densities between
2.5 and 3.2

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 Hardness
Measured on Moh’s scale from 1.0 (softest) to 10 (hardest)

Talc 1.0 Diamond 10.0

Scale was devised by measuring the amount of noise and
powder produced from rubbing a mineral on a metal file
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 Moh’s Scale of Hardness
10 Diamond
9 Corundum
8 Topaz
7 Quartz
6 Orthoclase Feldspar
Note diamond is over 30 x harder than corundum

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 Moh’s Scale of Hardness
5 Apatite
4 Fluorite
3 Calcite
2 Gypsum
1 Talc

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 Moh’s Scale of Hardness

Steel nail 5.5

Fingernail 2.5

Copper coin 3.5

Window glass 5.0
Everyday objects can be substituted for minerals on Moh’s scale

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 Testing For Hardness
Try to scratch mineral
specimens with substances
of known hardness
If a mineral is not scratched
by your fingernail, but is
scratched by a copper coin
then it will have a hardness
of between 2.5 and 3.5
If a mineral cannot be
scratched by steel it has a
hardness of over 5.5

Gypsum is scratched by a fingernail, hardness <2.5

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 Fracture*
The way a mineral breaks when struck by a hammer

The type of fracture is not controlled by any weaknesses in

the atomic structure of the mineral

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 Conchoidal Fracture*
This type of fracture is the
same as that shown by
window glass

A series of concentric curved

lines can be seen on the
fractured surface

A diagnostic property of the

mineral quartz
5mm

Rose quartz showing conchoidal fracture

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 Cleavage
The way a mineral breaks
when struck by a hammer
Cleavage is controlled by lines
of weakness in the atomic
structure of the mineral
Minerals can have 1, 2
or 3 planes of cleavage
1 plane, parallel or
basal cleavage
2 planes of cleavage that
intersect at a characteristic angle
3 planes (cubic, rhombohedral)

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Minerals showing one plane of cleavage

1cm

Biotite Mica
One plane of cleavage enables the mineral to part along parallel
lines. It is like a ream of paper that can be separated into
individual sheets.
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 Minerals Showing 2 Sets of
Cleavage Planes
1cm

1cm

Augite Plagioclase Feldspar

Feldspars – intersect at 90 degrees
Augite – intersect at 90 degrees

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 Minerals showing 3 sets of Cleavage Planes
1cm
Produced by the
intersection of three
cleavage planes

Halite Cubic cleavage 3 planes

intersect at 90 degrees e.g.
1cm halite

Rhombohedral cleavage 3
planes intersect at 60/120
degrees e.g. calcite
Calcite

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 Acid Reaction

Use dilute hydrochloric

acid to test for carbonates

Calcite effervesces (fizzes)

and gives off carbon dioxide
gas

Calcite reacting and

giving off carbon dioxide
2cm

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 Taste
If a mineral can be tasted
in the mouth, then it is
soluble in fresh water

Halite (rock salt) tastes

salty and is a diagnostic
property of the mineral

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 Diagnostic Properties

• Properties that allow any mineral to be identified

• Most minerals have two or three diagnostic properties
• Hardness, cleavage and streak are most useful
• Colour, lustre and density are less useful
• Special properties such as acid reaction or taste, are often
used to identify a mineral

• The properties marked with a * are not on the GCSE

specification.

GCSE Geology