Question 1

The image below shows a mineral specimen of quartz.What is the term for the smoothly curving,clamshell-shaped surface on the sample?

Accepted Answer

A)  conchoidal fracture 
B)  facet 
C)  cleavage plane 
D)  striation 
A)  conchoidal fracture 
B)  facet 
C)  cleavage plane 
D)  striation

Question 2

The color of a mineral in powdered form is termed

Accepted Answer

A)  color. 
B)  specific gravity. 
C)  luster. 
D)  streak. 
A)  color. 
B)  specific gravity. 
C)  luster. 
D)  streak.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true about minerals?

Accepted Answer

A)  All minerals are compounds of more than one element. 
B)  All minerals are naturally made. 
C)  Some minerals are precipitated by organisms. 
D)  All minerals can be expressed as chemical formulas. 
A)  All minerals are compounds of more than one element. 
B)  All minerals are naturally made. 
C)  Some minerals are precipitated by organisms. 
D)  All minerals can be expressed as chemical formulas.

Question 4

The most recently formed portion of any crystal is always found

Accepted Answer

A)  deep within the interior. 
B)  on the outer edges. 
C)  on whichever side is currently facing upward. 
D)  There is no consistent pattern for crystal formation. 
A)  deep within the interior. 
B)  on the outer edges. 
C)  on whichever side is currently facing upward. 
D)  There is no consistent pattern for crystal formation.

Question 5

When two different minerals have the same chemical formula but different crystal structures,they are said to be

Accepted Answer

A)  polymorphs. 
B)  polyliths. 
C)  monoliths. 
D)  pseudomorphs. 
A)  polymorphs. 
B)  polyliths. 
C)  monoliths. 
D)  pseudomorphs.

Question 6

What are cleavage and fracture? How are these physical properties similar? How are they different?

Accepted Answer

Cleavage and fracture are terms that ref

Question 7

Minerals can crystallize in all of the following ways EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)  solidification of a melt (lava/magma). 
B)  bonding carbon to oxygen atoms to form organic compounds. 
C)  solid-state diffusion. 
D)  biomineralization. 
A)  solidification of a melt (lava/magma). 
B)  bonding carbon to oxygen atoms to form organic compounds. 
C)  solid-state diffusion. 
D)  biomineralization.

Question 8

The mineral class that makes up more than 95 percent of the continental crust is termed the

Accepted Answer

A)  silicates. 
B)  carbonates. 
C)  halides. 
D)  oxides. 
A)  silicates. 
B)  carbonates. 
C)  halides. 
D)  oxides.

Question 9

Which two gems are varieties of the mineral corundum (Al2O3)?

Accepted Answer

A)  emeralds and rubies 
B)  emeralds and sapphires 
C)  aquamarines and emeralds 
D)  sapphires and rubies 
A)  emeralds and rubies 
B)  emeralds and sapphires 
C)  aquamarines and emeralds 
D)  sapphires and rubies

Question 10

Which of the following common minerals is softest?

Accepted Answer

A)  quartz 
B)  calcite 
C)  talc 
D)  fluorite 
A)  quartz 
B)  calcite 
C)  talc 
D)  fluorite

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A)  gypsum 
B)  feldspar 
C)  halite 
D)  quartz 
A)  gypsum 
B)  feldspar 
C)  halite 
D)  quartz

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the color of minerals?

Accepted Answer

A)  Some minerals have a consistent color,but many have a range of possible colors. 
B)  The streak color tends to be less variable than the color of a whole mineral. 
C)  Color is often controlled by impurities or minor chemical components of the mineral. 
D)  A mineral's color reflects the wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the mineral. 
A)  Some minerals have a consistent color,but many have a range of possible colors. 
B)  The streak color tends to be less variable than the color of a whole mineral. 
C)  Color is often controlled by impurities or minor chemical components of the mineral. 
D)  A mineral's color reflects the wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the mineral.

Question 13

What are the ways a mineral can crystallize in nature? List and explain each in some detail.

Accepted Answer

Minerals can form during solidification

Question 14

Which of the following common minerals is hardest?

Accepted Answer

A)  quartz 
B)  calcite 
C)  talc 
D)  fluorite 
A)  quartz 
B)  calcite 
C)  talc 
D)  fluorite

Question 15

How are minerals classified? List the major classes of minerals and their pertinent anions.

Accepted Answer

Minerals are classified based on their p

Question 16

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.

Accepted Answer

A)  striations 
B)  facets 
C)  cleavage planes 
D)  facades 
A)  striations 
B)  facets 
C)  cleavage planes 
D)  facades

Question 17

Which of the following is the most important characteristic used to identify minerals?

Accepted Answer

A)  color 
B)  luster 
C)  cleavage 
D)  Multiple properties must be used to identify a mineral. 
A)  color 
B)  luster 
C)  cleavage 
D)  Multiple properties must be used to identify a mineral.

Question 18

Pyrite (FeS2)is in which mineral class?

Accepted Answer

A)  silicates 
B)  carbonates 
C)  oxides 
D)  sulfides 
A)  silicates 
B)  carbonates 
C)  oxides 
D)  sulfides

Question 19

Crystals that exhibit well-formed faces are referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  pristine. 
B)  anhedral. 
C)  subhedral. 
D)  euhedral. 
A)  pristine. 
B)  anhedral. 
C)  subhedral. 
D)  euhedral.

Question 20

Glass and quartz crystals exhibit a smoothly curving,clamshell-shaped fracture pattern termed

Accepted Answer

A)  glassy fracture. 
B)  conchoidal fracture. 
C)  one-directional cleavage. 
D)  obtuse fracture. 
A)  glassy fracture. 
B)  conchoidal fracture. 
C)  one-directional cleavage. 
D)  obtuse fracture.

Exam 5: Patterns in Nature: Minerals

The image below shows a mineral specimen of quartz.What is the term for the smoothly curving,clamshell-shaped surface on the sample?

The color of a mineral in powdered form is termed

Which of the following is NOT true about minerals?

The most recently formed portion of any crystal is always found

When two different minerals have the same chemical formula but different crystal structures,they are said to be

What are cleavage and fracture? How are these physical properties similar? How are they different?

Minerals can crystallize in all of the following ways EXCEPT

The mineral class that makes up more than 95 percent of the continental crust is termed the

Which two gems are varieties of the mineral corundum (Al2O3)?

Which of the following common minerals is softest?

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

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the color of minerals?

What are the ways a mineral can crystallize in nature? List and explain each in some detail.

Which of the following common minerals is hardest?

How are minerals classified? List the major classes of minerals and their pertinent anions.

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.

Which of the following is the most important characteristic used to identify minerals?

Pyrite (FeS2)is in which mineral class?

Crystals that exhibit well-formed faces are referred to as

Glass and quartz crystals exhibit a smoothly curving,clamshell-shaped fracture pattern termed

Cosmology and the Birth of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

An Envelope of Gas: the Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, Revisited: Seismic Layering, Gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Prelude: and Just What Is Geology

Filters

Which two gems are varieties of the mineral corundum (Al₂O₃)?

Pyrite (FeS₂)is in which mineral class?