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Minerals
Building blocks of rocks
Minerals in the Mining Industry
Refers to anything taken out of the ground (coal, iron ore, sand, gravel)
Minerals in Geology
Minerals are any naturally occurring inorganic solid that possesses and orderly crystalline structure and can be represented by chemical formula
Characteristics of a Mineral
Naturally occurring
Solid substance
Orderly crystalline structure
Generally Inorganic
Can be represented by a chemical formula
Naturally Occurring
Synthetic materials, meaning those produced in a laboratory or by human intervention, are not considered materials
Solid Substance
Only crystalline substances that are solid at temperatures encountered at Earth's surface are considered minerals
Orderly Crystalline Structure
Orderly, repetitive packing of atoms
Generally Inorganic
Refers to substances that are not derived from living organisms and typically lack C-H bonds
Can be represented by a chemical formula
Most minerals are chemical compounds and can therefore be represented using a fixed or variable chemical formula
Luster
Appearance of quality of light reflected on surface
Metallic, Submetallic, Nonmetallic
Submetallic Luster
Look somewhat dull or tarnished, as if they have a weathered metallic surface
Nonmetallic
Generally not shiny nor reflective
Ability to transmit light
Opaque, translucent, transparent
Opaque
No light is transmitted
Translucent
Light but not an image is transmitted
Transparent
Both light and image is revisible
Color Streak
Color of the material in powder form
Crystal Shape
Shape of a crystal or aggregate of crystals
Mineral Strength
How easily minerals break or deform under stress
Tenacity
A minerals toughness or its resistance to breaking or deforming
Brittleness
Shatter into small pieces when struck
Malleable
Easily hammered into different shapes
Hardness
A measure of the resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching
Cleavage
Tendency of a mineral to break along plans of weak bonding
Note 
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