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The Mohs scale is used to aid in quick field identification of minerals, along with other techniques.

Mohs based the scale on ten minerals that are all readily available. As the hardest known naturally occurring substance, diamond is at the top of the scale. The hardness of a material is measured against the scale by finding the hardest material that the given material can scratch, and/or the softest material that can scratch the given material. For example, if some material is scratched by apatite but not by fluorite, its hardness on the Mohs scale would fall between 4 and 5.

Hardness Mineral

1 Talc (Mg3Si4O10(OH)2)

2 Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O)

3 Calcite (CaCO3)

4 Fluorite (CaF2)

5 Apatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH-,Cl-,F-)

6 Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)

7 Quartz (SiO2)

8 Topaz (Al2SiO4(OH-,F-)2)

9 Corundum (Al2O3)

10 Diamond (C)

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14y ago
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11y ago

The hardness of a mineral is often used by geologists to help determine the identity of a sample. The hardness of unknown mineral samples against a series of known samples. One is the softest mineral and ten is the hardest.

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13y ago

Although you can use common materials like steel nails, knives, copper pennies, and fingernails to get an idea of a mineral's relative hardness on the Mohs scale, kits are made with mineral tips that represent each number from 1-10. You would attempt to scratch an unidentified mineral's crystal face with a successively higher numbered tip until the crystal face was scratched. The number corresponding with that tip would be the mineral's hardness on the Mohs scale (or close to that number). A list of minerals with that number will help in identifying the mineral in question.

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13y ago

the softest a mineral can be is a 2 and the hardest it can be is a 9, it is a scale of 2-9

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The Mohs Scale of hardness ranges from 1 to 10. You can read more about it, below. "The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is based on the ability of one natural sample of matter to scratch another"

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11y ago

We can take a hardness box where the hardness of minerals is known. Scratch it in order and if the mineral gets scratched then its hardness is less than that of the reference mineral and vice-versa.

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13y ago

the bigger the number for that particular mineral, the harder it is. it ranges from 1-10, diamond being 10, the hardest.

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11y ago

the mohs scale is a chart used to compare the thickness or hardness which a diamond would always be the strongest one

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12y ago

The scratching mechanism of Moh's scale of hardness.

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Q: How is the Mohs scale of mineral hardness used?
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Related questions

What scale is used to find a mineral's hardness?

the mohs hardness scale


A scale used to measure the hardness of rocks?

The Mohs scale is used to determine the relative hardness of minerals.


What do scientists use to determine mineral hardness?

The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is generally used to determine the hardness of a mineral. The Mohs scale rates the ability of mineral to scratch or be scratched by another mineral.


What is the use of the hardness scale?

Minerals have a fairly specific range of hardness, based on the Mohs hardness scale. The Mohs scale is based on the ability of a mineral to be scratched, or scratch, another mineral. Using the Mohs scale to determine mineral hardness is one test that can be used to help identify one mineral from others.


Does the Mohs scale help scientists identify the crystal shape of a mineral?

The Mohs scale is used to identify the mineral property of hardness only.


Which scale is used to measure the hardness of mineral?

The Mohs scale is used to determine the relative hardness of minerals.


Why was Fredrich Mohs important?

He originally came up with the scale when classifying a private collection. He classified them by their physical characteristics rather than their chemical composition, using their relative hardness.


What mineral is used as an example of that hardness on Mohs hardness scale?

Talc Diamond Quartz


The Mohs scale helps scientists to identify the 'blank' of a mineral?

The Mohs scale is used to measure the hardness of minerals.


Is the Mohs scale used to rank the mineral luster?

No, just the hardness.


What is used to determine a mineral's resistance to being scratched?

The Mohs mineral hardness scale.


A minerals hardness with respect to other minerals can be determined by?

scratching the mineral acrros a glass plate