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The Mohs Scale of Hardness determines the hardness of minerals by scratching them with commonly found objects. The minerals are assigned a number which corresponds to their hardness; higher numbers indicate higher hardness.

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Is a mohs scale used to rank a mineral's luster?

Nope. It is actually the hardness. I'v been trying to find out what the Luster scale is myself....:S


The measure of how well mineral resists scratching is called?

The measure of how well a mineral resists scratching is called hardness. Hardness is determined by the ability of a mineral to withstand scratching by another material. The Mohs scale is commonly used to rank the hardness of minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).


How does granite compare in hardness to diamonds?

Granite is significantly softer than diamonds. On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, granite scores around 6 to 7, while diamonds rank at a perfect 10, making them the hardest known natural material. This means that diamonds can easily scratch granite, but granite cannot scratch diamonds.


What kind of gems is the worlds strongest?

Diamonds are the hardest mineral/gem in the world but they are brittle. The next step down from diamonds are sapphires and rubies. They arent brittle and are quite hard. On a scale of 1 to 10, diamonds (#10) being the hardest, sapphires rank 9. For more on the scale I used. Google MOHs scale of hardness


What is the third hardest gems?

: Diamond is the hardest gem. : : It is the only gem to rank a 10 on the 1 to 10 Mohs hardness scale. When we talk about "hardness," we're talking about a gem's ability to withstand scratching. As the hardest gem, diamond can scratch, or cut, any other stone, but only a diamond can scratch a diamond. : After diamond, the next hardest gem is sapphire. Even though sapphire ranks 9 on the Mohs scale, it is not nearly as hard as diamond. : Neither diamond or sapphire, however, is the *toughest* gem. That distinction belongs to nephrite, a type of jade. Toughness measures resistance to breaking, and nephrite jade is tougher than both diamond and sapphire.

Related Questions

Is the Mohs scale used to rank the mineral luster?

No, just the hardness.


What defines the hardness of rocks and minerals?

Hardness in a mineral generally refers to its position on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which is a scale of ten index minerals rated from softest (#1) to hardest (#10). Hardness on the Mohs scale is the ability of a given mineral to scratch any mineral below it on the scale, and conversely, the inability of a given mineral to scratch any mineral above it on the scale. Rock hardness is measured differently because a rock is usually composed of two or more minerals, giving it a variable Mohs hardness. Hardness of a rock is most often defined as the ability to resist fracture, and by this standard, it is often the method of the rock's formation and mineral content which determines its hardness. For instance, an igneous rock like granite which cooled from magma has an interlocking crystalline structure of quartz and feldspar minerals is extremely resistant to fracture compared to a sedimentary rock like shale, which is formed from loosely cemented particles of clay minerals.


Is a mohs scale used to rank a mineral's luster?

Nope. It is actually the hardness. I'v been trying to find out what the Luster scale is myself....:S


What is the hardness of coal?

The hardness of coal can vary depending on its type and rank, but generally it is considered to have a hardness ranging from 1 to 3 on the Mohs scale. It is softer than most minerals and rocks, making it easier to break or crush.


The measure of how well mineral resists scratching is called?

The measure of how well a mineral resists scratching is called hardness. Hardness is determined by the ability of a mineral to withstand scratching by another material. The Mohs scale is commonly used to rank the hardness of minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).


How hard is rutherfordium on the Mohs scale?

Rutherfordium is a synthetic element and its hardness on the Mohs scale is unknown as it is difficult to measure. The Mohs scale is typically used to rank naturally occurring minerals based on their scratch resistance, so it may not be applicable to man-made elements like rutherfordium.


What does it mean when a mineral can scratch another mineral?

When a mineral can scratch another mineral, it means that the mineral is harder than the mineral it can scratch. Hardness is a measure of a mineral's resistance to being scratched, with the Mohs scale commonly used to rank minerals based on their hardness.


Are synthetic diamonds harder than real diamonds?

Synthetic diamonds and real diamonds both have the same level of hardness. They both rank 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness.


What rank is a bone on the Mohs scale?

Bone's rank may vary depending on how dense it is; often it averages between 4 and 6, but denser bones with more collagen may rank higher, while sparser bones, such as those in flying birds, may rank lower. This fact is what makes a hypothetical "bone age" possible; if rocks are unavailable or too soft, the gifts of the dead may more than compensate.


How many times is diamond harder than sapphire?

You can see in the link, below, that a diamond is ranked as 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, while a sapphire is ranked as 9. The Mohs scale ranks the hardness of minerals.The Mohs scale is an ordinal scale, meaning -- from Wikipedia:"Rank-ordering data simply puts the data on an ordinal scale. Ordinal measurements describe order, but not relative size or degree of difference between the items measured. "


How tough is diamond compared to other gemstones?

Diamond is the hardest natural gemstone, scoring a 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. This makes diamond significantly tougher than other gemstones, such as sapphires and rubies, which rank lower on the scale.


Are diamonds the hardest substance on earth?

Yes, diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth. They score a 10 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, which measures a mineral's resistance to scratching. This hardness is due to the strong covalent bonds between the carbon atoms in a diamond's crystal structure.