Properties of minerals can be used to identify them, including color, luster, streak, cleavage, fracture, hardness, specific gravity, acid test, crystals, and special properties. Color is not always reliable since many minerals can be the same color or a mineral can come in different colors. A mineral's luster refers to how it shines and can be metallic, non-metallic, vitreous, or pearly. Hardness is measured on Mohs scale from 1 to 10 based on which materials can scratch the mineral. Special properties include traits like magnetism, radioactivity, or fluorescence under UV light that are unique to certain minerals.

1. Properties of Minerals

3. The Many Colors of Quartz Amethyst Citrine Smoky Quartz Rose Quartz Rock Crystal

4. Many Different White Minerals

5. Minerals Come in Many Different Colors

7. Luster Metallic Dull Vitreous Pearly

12. Cleavage

14. Fracture

20. Specific Gravity Metallic minerals are high Non-metallic minerals are lower

23. Quartz Crystals

25. Special Properties Magnetite- magnetic Uraninite- radioactive Sulphur- smelly

26. Some Common Minerals Galena Cleavage in 4 directions Me tallic

27. Feldspar Cleavage Pinkish

28. Graphite Metallic Very Soft Lubricant

29. Magnetite

30. Limonite

31. Quartz

32. Aquamarine: Click for sample mineral lab .