In the sense that they will crack/break easily.
2007-10-03 16:09:42 · 7 answers · asked by Brooksie 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
For those of you that were wondering, I had a project for English where I had to describe myself using different categories, one of them being a gem or mineral. I'm kind of a wuss, so I went with Talc.
2007-10-04 08:43:22 · update #1
Pebble Pup you need to study more. Quartz is in fact a 7 but diamond is 10 on Mohs. Quartz is hard but not as hard as diamond, not even close. Halite is not hard. Its about a 3 depending on the sample. I hope you are just starting out.
The question leaves something to be desired. Do you mean can you scratch it or is it brittle regardless of it Mohs scale value?
Talc, gypsum, calcite, halite, apatite are all common minerals that will break easily, displaying cleavage. Some very hard minerals can still be described as brittle, such as diamonds, whereas some soft ones cannot. And what are you breaking them with? Your hands? Your hammer? Something much bigger?
2007-10-03 18:25:53 · answer #1 · answered by Lady Geologist 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition. Each mineral has its own specific properties. The properties of minerals are its hardness, color, steak, luster, density, crystal shape, cleavage, fracture, fluoresence,ans special properties. The Moh's hardness scale ranks 10 minerals from sftest to hardest. The minerals in order from softest to hardest are Talc, Gypsum, Calcite, Flurite, Apatite, Feldspar, Quartz, Topaz, Corrundum, and Diamond.
More information from source.
VR
2007-10-03 23:18:04 · answer #2 · answered by sarayu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hardness of minerals has to do with ability to be scratched (or resist being scratched). Moh's scale of hardness will give you the list.
Any mineral will break, if it is forced, depending on the presence of cracks (usually present) and how much pressure is used, and whether they tend to form in long or short crystals.
2007-10-03 23:17:17 · answer #3 · answered by Howard H 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Talc, calcite, and gypsum are all low numbers on the Mohr Scale of hardness - these are all brittle and easy to scratch.
2007-10-03 23:22:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Quartz, is one of the most common minerals and it is a 7 on the Mo's hardness scale! Thats almost as hard as a diamond!
Quartz is also know as Amethyst (in it's purple form), or smoky quartz (in it's black form). Another hard mineral is halite or table salt!
Thats all i can think of for know, hope that helped!
2007-10-04 01:16:53 · answer #5 · answered by pebble pup 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Talc, Gypsum, Calcite if you base it on MOH scale.
2007-10-04 02:32:06 · answer #6 · answered by liltikiturtle 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
flourite-mica
2007-10-04 02:21:23 · answer #7 · answered by bchcwby 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋