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It can be a helpful start, but color is a tricky thing in mineralogy, since small impurities can change the color of a mineral.
I always say it like this: when you think of macaroni and cheese, you always think of it being yellow. A nice bowl of yellow macaroni and cheese (mmm!). Do you use color to identify it? Sure, but you use other things, too: smell, taste, composition (it's noodles and cheese), and such.
But how about if you dropped a bit of blue food coloring in the bowl? Suddenly you have blue macaroni and cheese. It looks weird, sure, but does it smell different? no. Does it taste different? No. Is the composition different? Not really (a small drop of food coloring is added, but what is a drop compared to a whole bowl?). All in all, it's still just a bowl of macaroni and cheese. But if you were just using color, you would have said it wasn't, because mac and cheese "is usually yellow". That "usually" is the kicker which can give a geologist a head start, but it's not an absolute. The drop of food coloring is like little chemical impurities or additions in minerals which can give them another color without really changing their composition or chemistry (this is why quartz has so many color varieties [citrine, amethys, rose, smoky] but at the end of the day they're all just quartz, SiO2)
What else can I help you with?
Why cant color alone be used too identify most minerals?
Minerals can change color based on small impurities.
Why isn't streak used to identify every mineral?
Streak is not used to identify every mineral because some minerals have the same color streak, making it unreliable for differentiation. Additionally, some minerals are too hard to leave a streak, while others may create a variable streak due to impurities. As a result, streak is just one of several properties used to identify minerals.
What are the seven characteristics used to identify minerals?
The seven characteristics used to identify minerals are color, streak, luster, hardness, cleavage, fracture, and specific gravity. These properties can help differentiate one mineral from another based on their unique physical and chemical properties.
Moh's Scale is used to determine this. streak hardness acid reaction luster?
Moh's Scale is used to determine the hardness of minerals. It ranks ten minerals from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond), allowing comparison of their resistance to scratching. This scale helps identify minerals based on their hardness relative to one another.
What minerals react to an acid test?
Minerals that react to an acid test typically include carbonates such as calcite, dolomite, and limestone. When these minerals come into contact with acid, they will fizz or bubble due to the release of carbon dioxide gas. This reaction is a key characteristic used to identify these minerals.
Why cant color be used to identify minerals?
Color can change in a mineral when in certain temperatures
Are physical properties are used to identify minerals?
yes it is
What is the following is used to identify common rock forming minerals and ore minerals?
cheese
How can magnetism be used to identify minerals?
Magnetism can be used to identify minerals by observing their response to a magnetic field. Some minerals are attracted to a magnet, some are repelled, and some show no response at all. By studying these behaviors, geologists can help to identify certain minerals based on their magnetic properties.
Why cant color alone be used too identify most minerals?
Minerals can change color based on small impurities.
What is the name of the scale we use to identify minerals?
The scale used to identify minerals is called the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It ranks minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest) based on their ability to scratch or be scratched by other minerals.
What are three properties used to identify minerals?
x-rays
What properties are not used to identify minerals?
I think its Specific Gravity :)
How can porcelain tile be used to idintify a mineral?
Mineral samples can be scraped across the bottom (i.e., the unglazed side) of a tile to create a colour streak which is characteristic of the mineral. Note that it takes more than a colour streak to identify a mineral. Many minerals have the same colour streak. Other characteristics such as the hardness and density will also need to be determined in order to positively identify a mineral.
What is used to positively identify minerals?
chemical tests and x-rays
Why chemical properties not always used to identify minerals?
The stripe, and color
Why can't the streak test be used to identify all minerals?
The streak test can only identify minerals that have a consistent powder color when scratched on a rough surface. It may not work well for minerals harder than the streak plate or those with a variable powder color due to impurities. Additionally, some minerals lack a distinguishable streak color, making it unreliable for their identification.
