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Minerals
RAMS - Chapter 4 - Study for your test!
46
Science
6th Grade
10/26/2009

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Cards

Term
What is true of the density of a mineral?
Definition
Each mineral has its own characteristic denisty which does not change.
Term
How are gems used?
Definition
Jewelry, mechanical parts, and grinding and polishing materials (like sandpaper).
Term
What kind of mine is used when ores occur in veins?
Definition
Shaft mines
Term
Is weight used to identify minerals?
Definition
No, never!
Term
What mineral is a number 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale?
Definition
Corundum - it breaks in hexagonal pieces and can be ground up for sandpaper.
Term
What term is used for how a mineral reflects light?
Definition
Luster
Term
What state of matter is a mineral? A solid, liquid, or a gas?
Definition
A solid.
Term
What is the name of a narrow band of minerals that lie between rock layers?
Definition
Vein
Term
The process of removing a metal from an ore is called?
Definition
Smelting
Term
A hard, colorful crystal that has a glassy luster is called a?
Definition
Gemstone
Term
True/False? Some minerals were once living things.
Definition
FALSE!! They must be INORGANIC.
Term
True/False? All minerals have a crystal structure.
Definition
True
Term
True/False? Most minerals can be identified by their color alone.
Definition
False. Color is a poor choice to use. Many minerals are the same color.
Term
True/False? A mineral always contains certain elements in definite proportions.
Definition
True
Term
True/False? Very few minerals are compounds.
Definition
False
Term
True/False? A mineral can scratch any mineral harder than itself.
Definition
False. Softer than itself, yes!
Term
True/False? Each piece of a mineral has the same crystal structure.
Definition
True. Think about salt, they are all perfect cubes.
Term
True/False? Minerals can form when solutions evaporate.
Definition
True
Term
True/False? If lava cools quickly, it forms minerals with small crystals.
Definition
True
Term
True/False? The map of an ore deposit helps miners decide how to mine the ore.
Definition
True
Term
What is gypsum used for?
Definition
To make cement
Term
What is calcite used for?
Definition
Microscopes and other optical equipment.
Term
What is quartz used for?
Definition
Watches and other timepieces.
Term
What is talc used for?
Definition
To make baby powder.
Term
What term describes a mineral's ability to split easily along flat surfaces?
Definition
Cleavage
Term
What term describes a mineral's ability to glow under ultraviolet light?
Definition
Flourescence
Term
What term describes the way a mineral looks when it breaks?
Definition
Fracture - it will not break evenly.
Term
The term for the color of a mineral's powder.
Definition
Streak
Term
What is the term for a ranking of minerals from the softest to the hardest?
Definition
Mohs Hardness Scale
Term
The term for the repeating pattern of a mineral's particles in a solid.
Definition
Crystal
Term
A substance composed of a single kind of atom.
Definition
Element
Term
A rounded hollow rock that is often lined with mineral crystals.
Definition
Geode
Term
A mixture in which one substance is dissovled in another.
Definition
Solution - like salt dissolved in water.
Term
Much of the world's copper is contained in this mineral ore.
Definition
Chalcopyrite
Term
A rock that contains a metal or economically useful material.
Definition
Ore
Term
A solid mixture containing at least one metal.
Definition
Alloy
Term
Any hard, colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster.
Definition
Gemstone
Term
The process in which an ore is melted to separate the useful metal from other elements.
Definition
Smelting
Term
The softest known mineral.
Definition
Talc
Term
A solid with flat sides that meet at sharp edges and corners is called?
Definition
Crystal
Term
A substance that keeps its shape because its particles can't flow easily.
Definition
Solid
Term
Why does the superstition exist that the Hope Diamond is bad luck to own?
Definition
A lot of people who owned it died violent and odd deaths. Misfortune happened to a lot of owners, like overthrowing of government, divorce, and illness.
Term
What five qualities MUST something have in order to be called a mineral?
Definition
1. Naturally occurring; 2. inorganic; 3. solid; 4. crystal structure; 5. definite chemical composition
Term
Why can't color alone be used to identify most minerals?
Definition
A lot of minerals are the same or similar colors. Color can be misleading. It might be one color on the outside, but its streak may be a totally different color. The streak will tell the TRUE inside color and is better to use.
Term
What can affect the size of crystals formed from magma?
Definition
The rate at which it cools can affect it. If it cools slowly the crystals will be larger. The amount of gas the magma has can affect crystal size. Often very quick drying magma with a lot of gas can have NO crystals. The chemical composition of the magma can affect the crystal size.
Term
What does synthetic mean?
Definition
man-made; Man-made gems are NOT minerals!! They are not naturally occurring.
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