Gypsum
Hardness
Mineral
Associations and Uses
1Talc (Softest)Talcum powder. (can be scratched by a fingernail.)
2GypsumPlaster of paris.
Gypsum is formed when seawater evaporates from the Earth's surface. (May be scratched by a fingernail or by a copper coin.)
3CalciteLimestone and most shells contain calcite.
(Can be scratched by a steel pocket knife or sometimes a copper coin. Will scratch a fingernail, may scratch a copper coin.)
4FluoriteFluorine in fluorite prevents tooth decay.
(Can be scratched by a steel pocket knife. Will scratch a fingernail and a copper coin.)
5ApatiteWhen you are hungry you have a big "appetite".
(Can be scratched by a steel pocket knife. Will scratch a fingernail and a copper coin.)
6OrthoclaseOrthoclase is a feldspar, and in German, "feld" means "field".
(Will not scratch glass but will scratch steel blades, copper coins & fingernails.)
7Quartz (Will scratch glass, steel blades, copper coins & fingernails.)
8TopazThe November birthstone. Emerald and aquamarine are varieties of beryl with a hardness of 8. (Will scratch glass, steel blades, copper coins & fingernails.)
9CorundumSapphire and ruby are varieties of corundum. Twice as hard as topaz.
(Will scratch glass, steel blades, copper coins & fingernails.)
10Diamond (hardest)Used in jewelry and cutting tools. Four times as hard as corundum.
(Will scratch all of the above.)
Gypsum has a hardness of 2 on the Mohs scale, which is similar to the hardness of a fingernail.
Marginally. Halite has a hardness of 2 to 2.5, about the same as a fingernail.
When you scratch a mineral with a penny, nail, and your fingernail, you are testing the mineral's hardness. The ability to scratch or be scratched by certain materials helps determine the mineral's hardness on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
The most commonly known mineral that can be scratched with a fingernail is talc.
Talc i assigned a hardness of 1 according to the Mohs scale of hardness. This implies that talc has the least hardness and therefore is soft and can be scratched by a fingernail.
The mineral that has a similar hardness to a fingernail is gypsum. Gypsum has a Mohs hardness of 2, which makes it soft enough to be scratched by a fingernail.
Gypsum has a hardness of 2 on the Mohs scale, which is similar to the hardness of a fingernail.
Marginally. Halite has a hardness of 2 to 2.5, about the same as a fingernail.
If a fingernail can scratch a mineral, you are testing the mineral's hardness. Hardness is a measure of a mineral's resistance to being scratched by other materials. Minerals are ranked on the Mohs scale of hardness from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).
The Moh's scale is used to test the hardness of a mineral. It will be tested by a fingernail scratching it.
The fingernail test is for minerals and if a mineral is soft then you stick your fingernail in the mineral and if it is below 10 on the moh's hardness scale then it can put a dent into the mineral hope that helps!!
When you scratch a mineral with a penny, nail, and your fingernail, you are testing the mineral's hardness. The ability to scratch or be scratched by certain materials helps determine the mineral's hardness on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
The most commonly known mineral that can be scratched with a fingernail is talc.
Talc i assigned a hardness of 1 according to the Mohs scale of hardness. This implies that talc has the least hardness and therefore is soft and can be scratched by a fingernail.
The most commonly known mineral that can be scratched by a fingernail is talc.
Mineral hardness is tested on a glass plate or usually a finger nail.
Well you see, it's pretty simple. If a fingernail has a hardness of 2.5, and the question is asking what mineral can easily be scratched by a fingernail. Well then it is Graphite. It has a less hardness than your fingernails.