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)
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.
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.
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
Another Answer
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"
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.
the bigger the number for that particular mineral, the harder it is. it ranges from 1-10, diamond being 10, the hardest.
the mohs scale is a chart used to compare the thickness or hardness which a diamond would always be the strongest one
The scratching mechanism of Moh's scale of 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.
The Mohs scale is used to identify the mineral property of hardness only.
The Mohs scale is used to measure the hardness of minerals.
A mineral's resistance to being scratched is known as it's hardness. You can determine hardness by scratching it with another material whose hardness is already known. If it can be scratched, then the hardness is lower. If the unknown leaves a scratch on the known material, then its hardness is higher.
The Mohs hardness scale.
the mohs hardness scale
The Mohs scale is used to determine the relative hardness of minerals.
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.
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.
The Mohs scale is used to identify the mineral property of hardness only.
The Mohs scale is used to determine the relative hardness of minerals.
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.
Talc Diamond Quartz
The Mohs scale is used to measure the hardness of minerals.
No, just the hardness.
The Mohs mineral hardness scale.
scratching the mineral acrros a glass plate