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Figuring Out What Mineral it is!
Since there can be so many combinations of
elements to make the different minerals, scientists had to find
ways to figure out which minerals they were. Over 3000 minerals
have been discovered. Scientists who study minerals are called
mineralogists. Mineralogists had to find ways to always
recognize a mineral. They found out that all minerals have
properties. This means that a mineral has characteristics that
are the same each time the mineral is tested. For an example,
we will use calcite. A mineralogist has two minerals in front
of him. Both are white, neither is magnetic, but one of them is
transparent [can be seen through] and one is opaque [cannot be
seen through]. Having a list of properties or characteristics
of each mineral allows the mineralogist to decide that they are
not the same and that the transparent one is calcite. He can decide this because calcite has been studied a
lot and is not opaque.
Click on each one to find out what it means or go to our Mineral Characteristics page. Choices: |
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Citations: Zim, Herbert S. Rocks and minerals: a guide to familiar minerals, gems, ores and rocks. New York: Golden Press, 1957. |