Identify a mineral from its properties

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   USGS; NASA

   mineral	looks	streak
   pyrite	gold-like	dark green to black
   gold	gold	golden yellow
   hematite	dark and metallic	red-brown
   magnetite	dark and metallic	black-gray

   Beside it, the rock-cycle boxes: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic (minerals make up all three)

2. 1.

   Ari's sample looks dark and metallic and leaves a red-brown streak. Using the card, which mineral is it?

   • Hematite
   • Gold
   • Pyrite
   • Magnetite
3. 2.

   A sample leaves a black-gray streak on unglazed tile. Using the card, which mineral is it, Esme?

   • Pyrite
   • Hematite, as both look dark
   • Magnetite
   • Gold

4. NPS Mohs Hardness Scale

   test object	hardness
   fingernail	2.5
   copper penny	3.5
   knife or glass plate	5.5
   steel nail	6.5

   Beside it, the rock-cycle boxes: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic (minerals make up all three)

5. 3.

   Calcite has a hardness of 3. Using the table, which object could scratch calcite, Jun?

   • A piece of talc
   • A copper penny
   • A fingernail
   • A sheet of paper
6. 4.

   Fluorite has a hardness of 4 and quartz 7. Which object in the table scratches fluorite but not quartz, Kira?

   • A copper penny
   • A steel nail
   • A fingernail
   • A diamond
7. 5.

   Luz reads that a fingernail scratches a mineral, and the mineral cannot scratch a copper penny. Using the table, what is its hardness?

   • More than 3.5
   • About 6.5
   • Between 3.5 and 5.5
   • Less than 2.5
8. 6.

   Pyrite and gold can both look golden. Which test result tells Noah that a sample is real gold?

   • A gold-colored surface
   • A yellow color in sunlight
   • A golden yellow streak
   • A dark green to black streak
9. 7.

   Pia reads that fluorite can be purple, green, yellow or blue. Why is color a weak clue for fluorite?

   • Each color is a different mineral
   • Fluorite has no color
   • One mineral can come in many colors
   • Color names each mineral exactly
10. 8.

    Mica peels apart into thin, flat sheets. Is that cleavage or fracture, Ren?

    • Neither: mica does not break
    • Fracture: it breaks in curves
    • Luster: it shines
    • Cleavage: it splits along flat planes
11. 9.

    Quartz breaks with smooth, curved surfaces, a little like thick glass. Which word names that kind of break, Tala?

    • Luster
    • Fracture
    • Streak
    • Cleavage
12. 10.

    Halite, the mineral in rock salt, breaks into tiny cubes. What does that tell Zee?

    • It has no cleavage, just fracture
    • It has cubic cleavage
    • Its streak is cube-shaped
    • It is very hard