Prentice Hall Science Explorer Earth Science Ch 3

Front 1

mineral

Back 1

a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition.

Front 2

inorganic

Back 2

the mineral CANNOT form from materials that were once part of a living thing

Front 3

crystal

Back 3

a solid in which the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats again and again

Front 4

color

Back 4

a mineral characteristic that an easily observed physical property that provides little information

Front 5

streak

Back 5

a mineral characteristic that is the color of its powder

Front 6

luster

Back 6

a mineral characteristic that is determined by how light is reflected from a mineral's surface

Front 7

density

Back 7

a mineral characteristic that is an objects mass per unit volume

Front 8

hardness

Back 8

a mineral characteristic that can be determined by a scratch test

Front 9

crystal systems

Back 9

a mineral characteristic that is a part of the six groups in which geologists clasify mineral crystal structures

Front 10

cleavage

Back 10

a mineral characteristic where a mineral splits easily along flat surfaces

Front 11

fracture

Back 11

a mineral characteristic that describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way

Front 12

special properties

Back 12

a mineral characteristic such as fluorescence, optical properties, reacitity and magnetism

Front 13

geode

Back 13

a round hollow rock that is often lined with mineral crystals

Front 14

crystallization

Back 14

the process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure

Front 15

magma

Back 15

molten material from inside Earth that hardens to form rock

Front 16

lava

Back 16

magma that reaches the surface and forms rock when it cools and hardens

Front 17

solution

Back 17

a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another

Front 18

vein

Back 18

a narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is different from the surrounding rock

Front 19

gemstones

Back 19

a hard, colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster

Front 20

smelting

Back 20

an ore is mixed with other substances and then melted to separate the useful metal from other elements the ore contains