Ch 3 vocabulary (key terms) MINERALS!!

1. mineral – A naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition.
2.  inorganic – never alive
3.  crystal – a repeating pattern of the mineral's particles which forms a shape
4. streak – the color of the powder of the mineral
5.  luster – how light reflects from the mineral’s surface
6.  Mohs Hardness Scale – ranks the hardness of minerals from 1 to 10
7.  Cleavage – the easy splitting of a mineral along a flat surface
8.  Fracture – how a mineral looks when it breaks
9.  Geode – rounded hollow rock that is often lined with minerals.
10. Crystallization – the process by which atoms line up to form a crystal
11. Magma –underground, molten rock
12.  Lava – above ground, molten rock
13. Solution – one substance dissolved in another
14. Vein – a narrow channel of mineral surrounded by other rock
15. Ore – a rock that contains metal or other useful mineral
16. **Smelting – melting down rock to get the metal out of it
17. **Alloy – a solid mixture of 2 elements, at least one of them is a metal.

** Just 7th and 8th grades