Justin moore mineral identifacation

Mineral Identification Justin Moore

Biotite Mica 

Luster - Vitreous to pearly

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Cleavage – 1

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Colour – Dark brown, greenish-brown, blackish-brown, yellow, white

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Streak colour – colourless

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Hardness – 2.5 to 3.9

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Special properties – Have a perfect basal cleavage and thin sheets that flake off

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Uses – Used to determine the age of rocks through potassium-argon or argon-argon dating.

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Micaneous

Fluorite 

Luster – Non-metallic

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Cleavage – Octahedral cleavage

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Colour – Variations of purple

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Streak colour – Colourless

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Hardness – 4

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Special properties – Fluorescence under UV light

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Use - Optics, high end telescopes and lenses

Sulfur 

Hardness – 2.0

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Colour - Yellow

Galena 

Luster – Metallic

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Cleavage – Cubic

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Colour – Lead gray and silvery

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Streak colour – Lead gray

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Hardness – 2.5 – 2.75

Calcite 

Luster – Vitreous to pearly on cleavage surfaces

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Cleavage – Perfect Rombohedral

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Colour – Colorless or white, also gray, yellow and green

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Streak colour – Colourless

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Hardness – 3

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Uses - Used in gun sights for WW2

Talc 

Formula – Mg3Si4O10(OH)2

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Colour – Light to dark green, brown, white, grey

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Cleavage – Basal

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Hardness – 1

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Luster – Wax-like or pearly

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Streak – White to pearl green

Hematite 

Formula - Fe203

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Colour – Metallic gray, dull to bright red

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Cleavage – None

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Hardness – 5.5 to 6.5

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Luster – Metallic

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Streak – Bright red to dark red

Feldspar 

Luster – Vitreous

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Cleavage – Two or three planes

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Colour – Pink, white, gray, brown

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Streak colour – Colourless

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Hardness – 6.0 to 6.5

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Uses - Feldspar is used for K-Ar dating, argon-argon dating, thermoluminescence dating, and optical dating.

Gypsum 

Colour – Colourless, white, yellow, tan, blue, pink, brown, reddish brown or gray

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Hardness – 1.5 to 2

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Luster – Vitreous to silky, pearly or waxy

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Streak – White

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Formula - CaS04 2H2O

Halite 

Formula - NaCl

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Colour – Colourless, white, blue, purple, red, pink, yellow, orange and gray

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Cleavage – Cubic (3 directions)

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Hardness – 2 – 2.5

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Luster – Vitreous

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Streak - Colourless

Magnetite 

Formula - Fe II Fe III 204

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Colour – Black, gray with brownish tint when reflected in the sun

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Cleavage – Indistinct

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Hardness – 5.5 to 6.5

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Luster – Metallic

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Streak – Black

Muscovite Mica 

Formula - KAl2(AlSi3O10)(F1OH)2

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Colour – White, grey, silvery

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Cleavage – None

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Hardness - 2 to 2.5

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Luster – Vitreous, Silky, Pearly

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Streak - White

Quartz 

Formula – SiO2

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Colour – Colourless, black

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Cleavage – Indistinct

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Hardness – 7

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Luster – Vitreous (Waxy to dull when massive)

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Streak - White

Pyrite 

Formula – FeS2

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Colour – Pale brass-yellow

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Hardness – 6 to 6.5

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Luster – Metallic, glistening

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Streak – Greenish-black to Brownish-black

Graphite 

Colour – Iron black to steel gray; deep blue

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Cleavage – Basal

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Hardness – 1 to 2

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Luster – Metallic, earthy

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Streak – Black