Minerals
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25 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 mineral | A naturally-occurring inorganic solid that has crystal structure and a definite chemical composition. |
| inorganic | Not formed from living things or the remains of living things. Does NOT contain Carbon. |
| crystal | A solid in which the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats again and again. |
| element | A substance composed of a single atom. |
| compound | A substance in which 2 or more elements are chemically joined. |
| Mohs hardness scale | A scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest; used in testing the hardness of minerals. |
| streak | the color of a mineral's powder. |
| luster | The way a mineral reflects light from its surface. |
| cleavage | A mineral's ability to split easily along flat surfaces. |
| fracture | The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way. |
| fluorescence | The property of a mineral in which the mineral glows under ultraviolet light. |
| density | The amount of mass in a given space;mass per unit volume. |
| crystallization | the process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure. |
| solution | a mixture in which one substance dissolves in another. |
| vein | A narrow slab of a mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock. |
| gemstone | A hard colorful mineral that has a brillant or glassy luster. |
| metals | Minerals that are useful because they can be stretched, flattened, hammered and molded without breaking. |
| ore | Rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral. |
| prospecting | The process of searching for ore deposits. |
| mining | the process of removing mineral ore from the earth's crust. |
| strip mines | the process of scraping away soil to expose ore near the surface of the earth. |
| open pit mines | the process of digging a tremendous pit to remove ore deposits that begin at the surface and extend deep into the earth's crust. |
| shaft mines | the process of digging a network of tunnels that extend deep into the ground following veins of minerals. |
| smelting | the process by which ore is melted to separate the useful metal from other elements. |
| alloy | a solid mixture of two or more metals. |
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