how to identify minerals in 10 steps

8/9/2019 How to Identify Minerals in 10 Steps

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HOW TO IDENTIFY MINERALS IN 10 STEPS

Step 1: Pick Your Minera

Photo Credit: Photo (c) 2011 Andrew Alden,

Learning mineral identifcation is like learning to cook. You begin by ollowing

step-by-step procedures and looking up a lot o things. But ater a while you

notice regularities, become amiliar with the usual suspects, make some

productive mistakes, and get better at it until it becomes easy and un.

Another way mineral identifcation is like cooking is that proessionals can go to

school, learn to use epensive e!uipment and master the sub"ect ully, yetamateurs can handle nearly all the common possibilities using "ust a ewsimple tools.The first thing to do is to observe and test your mineral.Use the largest piece you

can find, and if you have several pieces, make sure sure that they are all the same mineral. Examine

your mineral for all of the following properties, writing down the answers. After that you'll be ready

to take your information to the right place.

Step !: Lu"ter



Luster is the way a mineral reflects light and the first key step in mineral identification. ook for

luster on a fresh surface. The three ma!or types of luster are metallic, glassy "vitreous# and dull. Aluster between metallic and glassy is called adamantine, and a uster between glassy and dull

is called resinous or waxy.

Step 3: Hardness

#se the $%-point &ohs #ar$ne"" scale. 'he important hardnesses are between( and ). *or this you+ll need your fngernail hardness about (, a coinhardness , a knie or nail hardness /./ and a ew key minerals.read about0ardness

Step 4: Color

http://www.geologyin.com/2014/03/luster-of-minerals.html


http://www.geologyin.com/2014/05/the-mohs-scale-of-mineral-hardness.html










$olor is important in mineral identification, but it can be a complicated sub!ect. Experts use color

all the time because they have learned the usual colors and the usual exceptions for common

minerals. %f you're a beginner, pay close attention to color but do not rely on it. &irst of all, be sure

you aren't looking at a weathered or tarnished surface, and examine your specimen in good light.

$olor is a fairly reliable indicator in the opaue and metallic minerals(for instance the blue of the

opaue mineral la)urite or the brass*yellow of the metallic mineral pyrite. %n the translucent or

transparent minerals, color is usually the result of a chemical impurity and should not be the only

thing you use. &or instance, pure uart) is clear or white, but uart) can have many other colors.

Try to be precise with color. %s it a pale or deep shade+ oes it resemble the color of anothercommon ob!ect, like bricks or blueberries+ %s it even or mottled+ %s there one pure color or a range

of shades+

%f you have an ultraviolet light, this is the time to see if the mineral has a fluorescent color. -ake

note if it displays any other special optical effects.

Step 5: Streak



Streak is the color o the fnely crushed mineral. 1treak is somewhat morereliable than color and is essential or a ew minerals. You+ll need a streak plateor something like it. A broken kitchen tile or even a handy sidewalk can do.1cratch your mineral across the 1treak plate with a scribbling motion.

Step 6: Crystal Form and Mineral Habit

A good knowledge o crystals is very helpul once you+re past the beginner

stage, but oten minerals do not display any crystal aces, so or simplicity+s

sake we+ll ignore it. *or beginners, a mineral+s crystal orm is less important

than its cleavage see the net step. 2hen you+re ready to learn this aspect ominerals, you+ll want a book.

http://www.geologyin.com/2014/03/the-streak-of-minerals.html






-agnetism is a distinctive property in a few minerals. -agnetite is the prime example, but a few

other minerals may be weakly attracted by a magnet, notably chromite "a black oxide# and

pyrrhotite "a bron)e sulfide#. Use a strong magnet. The magnets % use came from the corners of an

old plastic shower curtain. Another way to test magnetism is to see if the specimen attracts acompass needle.

Step #: $t!er Mineral %roperties

Ta"teis defnitive or halite rock salt , o course, but a ew other evaporite minerals

also have distinctive tastes. 4ust touch your tongue to a resh ace o themineral and be ready to spit5ater all it+s called taste, not 6avor. 7on+t worryabout taste i you don+t live in an area with these minerals.

Fi%% means the e8ervescent reaction o certain carbonate minerals to the acid

test. *or this test, vinegar will do.

He&t is how heavy a mineral eels in the hand, an inormal sense o density.

&ost minerals are about three times as dense as water, that is, they have a

specifc gravity o about . &ake note o a mineral that is noticeably light or

heavy or its si9e. :alena, on the right, is distinctly heavy. 1ulfdes and oides

tend to be dense.

Step &': Look (t )p



/ow you are ready for mineral identification. 0nce you have observed and noted these mineral properties, you can take your information to a book or to an online resource. tart with my table of

the rock*forming minerals, because these are the most common and the ones you should learn first.

Each mineral's name is linked to a good photograph and notes to help you confirm the

identification. %f your mineral has metallic luster, go to my -inerals with -etallic uster gallery to

see the most likely minerals in this group. %f your mineral is not one of these, try the sources in the

-ineral %dentification 1uides category.

how to identify minerals in 10 steps

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