Mineralogy Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to mineralogy, including definitions and explanations of important concepts.

Mineralogy

The scientific study of minerals, including their composition, structure, properties, and occurrences.

Natural Structure

The arrangement of atoms in a mineral that determines its physical properties.

Streak

The color of a mineral in its powdered form, usually tested on an unglazed porcelain streak plate.

Luster

The way light interacts with the surface of a mineral, indicating its identity.

Hardness

A measure of a mineral's resistance to abrasion or scratching, often assessed using Mohs scale.

Cleavage

The ability of a mineral to break along flat, smooth surfaces, reflecting planes of weakness in its crystal structure.

Fracture

The way a mineral breaks other than along cleavage planes, resulting in uneven or irregular surfaces.

Idiochromatic Minerals

Minerals that have inherent color due to their chemical composition.

Allochromatic Minerals

Minerals that display various colors due to impurities or structural imperfections.

Specific Gravity

A number that expresses the ratio between the weight of a mineral and the weight of an equal volume of water.