1.
alloy: a solid mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal
2.
cleavage: a mineral's ability to split easily along flat surfaces
3.
crystal: a solid in which the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats again and again
4.
crystallization: the process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure
5.
fracture: the way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way
6.
gemstone: a hard, colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster and is valued for its appearance
7.
geode: a hollow rock inside which mineral crystals have grown
8.
inorganic: not formed from living things or the remains of living things
9.
luster: the way a mineral reflects light from its surface
10.
mineral: a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition
11.
Mohs hardness scale: a scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest; used in testing the hardness of minerals
12.
ore: rock that contains a metal or other economically useful mineral
13.
slag: a by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal from the waste
14.
smelting: the process by which ore is melted to separate the useful metal from other elements
15.
solute: something dissolved in another material to form a solution
16.
solution: a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another
17.
solvent: what a material is dissolved in to form a solution
18.
streak: the color of a mineral's powder
19.
vein: a narrow deposit of a mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock