MOHS' SCALE

OF

HARDNESS

In 1822 Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, divised a system of comparative hardnees by which to judge minerals.Mohs hardness scale is relative, which means that calcite is not exactly three times as hard as talc,nor is diamond ten times as hard as talc. The scale merely lists teh minerals, each of which is harder than the one before it.The true hardness of this minerals is quite surprising .Diamond is about four times as hard as corundum. The true hardness of minerals can be measured with delicate instruments.

Diamond is the hardest known mineral, its number ten on Mohs' scale of hardness.Observe the following graph

MOHS' SCALE OF HARDNESS

  1. Talc
  2. Gypsum
  3. Calcite
  4. Fluorite
  5. Apatite
  6. Orthoclase
  7. Quartz
  8. Topaz
  9. Corundum
  10. Diamond

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