Identifying the Unknown Minerals: Mineral Lab

Students will be identifying the unknown minerals by looking at cleavage, fracture, luster, streak, hardness, and density. This is a hands on activity where students will place their data on a data table so they can analyze their results and then determine the unknown mineral.

The assessment to this lab is for students to explain how a mineral can be identified by using cleavage, fracture, luster, streak, hardness, and density. Students will then explain any difficulties they had when identifying the minerals. They will need to use evidence from their data when explaining their answers.