Hardness of Minerals

 

Mohs Scale of Hardness

 Talc

 Gypsum

 Calcite

 Fluorite

 Apatite

 Feldspar

 Quartz

 Topaz

 Corundum

 Diamond

 1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

 9

 10

 

The easiest way to identify a mineral is by how hard it is.
The first hardness scale was invented by Friedrich Mohs, a German man who invented the scale so some geologists would learn to identify rocks by hardness.

 Here are some items you can use to test for hardness in a mineral.
A good item is to buy some unglazed tile from your nearest department store.
If you can't get the tile these household items work well.
These are the items you need, if you can scratch your mineral with your nail this rock is about a 2 1/2 on a hardness scale from 1-10.
If your mineral can be scratched by a copper penny it is about a 3 1/2 on the scale.
If your mineral can scratch glass it's about a 5 to 5 1/2 on the scale.
If an iron nail can scratch it, it's about a 6.
The hardest rock on the scale is a diamond. The diamonds that are not used for gems are used as cutting and grinding tools. A diamond can't be scratched by any other mineral but it can scratch them.