Exam 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Calcite (CaCO₃)is in which mineral class?

The internal ordering of mineral crystals can be detected using ________.

Minerals are all naturally occurring solid substances with a definable chemical composition.They must also possess ________.

Diamond is a polymorph of graphite.What is a polymorph,and explain how a piece of graphite could be turned into a diamond by geologic processes.

Which common rock-forming mineral shows up in all three major rock types (igneous,sedimentary,and metamorphic)?

The mantle is composed almost entirely of the mineral class ________.

The major rock-forming minerals fall into the ________ mineral class.

Pyrite (FeS₂)is in which mineral class?

For the majority of minerals,the streak color obtained when the mineral is scratched against a porcelain plate is ________.

________ is a mineral property defined by the density of the mineral sample divided by the density of water (1.0 g/cm³).

Which common gemstone results from biomineralization?

Fewer than 50 minerals on Earth are ________.

The diamonds we typically see today in engagement rings do not display their natural crystal faces but rather ________,which are made by grinding the gem on a spinning lap.

Explain why a cubic zirconia is NOT a mineral.

Synthetically made glass and natural quartz crystals both exhibit a fracture pattern termed ________.

Trace amounts of impurity in a mineral can commonly produce significant differences in ________ among individual crystals of this mineral.

Which of the following minerals is more commonly known as table salt?

The mineral calcite is in the ________ mineral class.

The ________ class of minerals are very good conductors due to the ability of the electrons in the atoms to move around.

Potassium feldspar (KAlSi₃O₈)is in which mineral class?