Minerals – Flashcards (Lecture 6, GSCI 160)

Vocabulary flashcards covering mineral properties and structure from the lecture notes.

Mineral

A natural, inorganic solid with an ordered internal structure and a definite chemical composition.

Crystal lattice

The three‑dimensional arrangement of atoms in a mineral that determines its crystal form and properties.

Amorphous

Lacking long-range order; a disordered solid such as glass formed by rapid cooling.

Silicate tetrahedron

A silicon–oxygen unit (SiO4) that serves as the basic building block of silicate minerals.

Silicate minerals

Minerals built from linked silicon–oxygen tetrahedra (SiO4); the most abundant minerals in Earth's crust.

Mohs hardness scale

A 1–10 scale ranking minerals by hardness (Diamond = 10, Talc = 1).

Cleavage

The tendency of a mineral to break along flat planes of weakness, producing smooth surfaces.

Streak

The color of a mineral in powdered form, tested on unglazed porcelain.

Luster

The way light reflects from a mineral's surface; includes metallic and nonmetallic types.

Diaphaneity

The ability of a mineral to transmit light; transparent, translucent, or opaque.

Effervescence

Fizzing when a mineral reacts with acid, used to identify carbonates (e.g., calcite).

Crystal habit

The typical external shape a mineral crystal tends to form when given space to grow.

Bond types

Ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds (with van der Waals forces as weaker interactions) that hold minerals together.

Fracture

The way a mineral breaks when it does not have planes of weakness; breaks irregularly.

Halite

Sodium chloride (NaCl); a common mineral with cubic form and used as table salt; forms characteristic cleavage.