What You Do:

Explore physical properties.

Gather and interpret experimental data.

Practice estimation.

Test unknown minerals to discover their identity.

What You Need:

Mineral Kit ( Enough for 1 mineral per student, the Mineral Key provided uses American Educational 2343 15-Piece Mineral Study Economy Kit )

Pennies ( 1 per student )

Ring or Bar Magnets ( 1 per student )

Glass Slides (1 per student)

Streak Plates (1 per student)

Mystery Minerals Worksheet (1 per student)

Mineral Key (1 per 4 students)

What’s Happening:

When you touch rocks, it may feel as if they are all the same hardness. But they are not. Scientist use a numbered scale (the Mohs Scale) to rank the hardness of rocks and minerals. Talc has a hardness of one, it is the mineral with the lowest hardness, it can be scratched by all other minerals. A diamond has a hardness of ten, it is the hardest mineral, it can scratch all other minerals. A rock with a hardness of five would be able to scratch some rocks (those with lower hardness), but it would be scratched by some rocks (those with a higher hardness).