Lab Exercise 1: Mineral Physical Properties and Identification Mineral Name Color Biotite Black, dark brown, dark

green, reddish black Calcite

Streak Gray

Cleavage 1 3

Crystal System Monoclinic Hexagonal

Fracture irregular conchoidal

Hardness 2.5-3 3

Luster Non-Metallic Non-Metallic

Other N/A HCI Acid

Colorless, white, yellow, brown, orange, pink, White red, purple, blue, green, gray, black; occassionally multicolored or banded

Copper

Copper-red to brown. Tarnishes green, sometimes also blue, brown, red, or black

Red/Brown

Isometric

irregular

2.5-3

Metallic

N/A

Corundum

Colorless, white, blue, red, violet, pink, green, White yellow, orange, gray, and black; occasionally multicolored or banded

Hexagonal

conchoidal

Non-Metallic

N/A

Fluorite

Colorless, white, purple, blue, red, pink, White orange, yellow, brown, green, gray, and black; occassionally multicolored and banded.

Isometric

irregular

Non-Metallic

N/A

Galena Gypsum

Steel-gray Gray Colorless, white, gray, brown, beige, orange, White pink, yellow, light red, green Colorless, white, red, yellow, orange, pink, blue, violet, green, and gray; may also be multicolored Black, gray to silver gray, brown to reddish brown, red dark green, gray, or black Gray to black White

3 1

Isometric Monoclinic

conchoidal irregular

2.5-3 2

Metallic Non-Metallic

N/A N/A

Halite

Isometric

conchoidal

2-2.5

Non-Metallic

Salty Taste

Hematite Hornblende Magnetite

Red/Brown White Gray

0 2 0

Hexagonal Monoclinic Isometric

irregular irregular irregular

5-6.5 5 5.5-6.5

Non-Metallic Non-Metallic Metallic

N/A N/A Magnetic

Muscovite

Colorless, white, beige, yellow, brown, gray, green, pink, purple, red, black; occasionally multicolored olive-green, light green, dark green, yellowgreen, yellow-brown, and brown; rarely white, gray, or orange White, yellow, colorless, pink, orange, light blue, light green, brown, gray

White

Monoclinic

irregular

2-2.5

Non-Metallic

N/A

Olivine

White

Orthorhombic

conchoidal

6.5-7

Non-Metallic

N/A

Orthoclase

White

Monoclinic

irregular

Non-Metallic

N/A

Plagioclase

White, colorless, cream, gray, yellow, orange, White pink, green, blue, red, brown, black Yellowish gray to gray Green, grayish-green, greenish brown, dark brown, black Colorless, white, purple, pink, brown, and black; also gray, green, orange, yellow, blue, and red; occassionally multicolored or banded Bright yellow to yellow-brown White, beige, gray, yellow, brown, pink, purple, blue, green; rarely colorless Gray White

Triclinic

irregular

6-6.5

Non-Metallic

N/A

Pyrite Pyroxene

0 2

Isometric Monoclinic

conchoidal irregular

6-6.5 5-6

Metallic Non-Metallic

N/A N/A

Quartz

White

Hexagonal

conchoidal

Non-Metallic

N/A

Sulfur Talc

White White

2 1

Orthorhombic Monoclinic

conchoidal irregular

1.5-2.5 1

Non-Metallic Non-Metallic

N/A N/A