Mineral Detective Lab

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Mineral DetectiveLab

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Purpose of Lab

• To learn how to use mineral identification
  techniques to identify unknown minerals.
• To become more familiar with some common
  minerals.
• To review the parts of a laboratory experiment
  and report.

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Lab Timeline

• MONDAY Introduction of Formal Lab, break into
  pairs, write Title, Introduction, Hypothesis,
  Materials, Procedures, Observations column
• TUESDAY In pairs, complete Light Interaction,
  Smell, and Streak,
• WEDNESDAY Mohls Hardness Scale, Set up
  Solubility Tests
• THURSDAY Cleavage, Ice, Finish observations
  for Solubility
• FRIDAY Use information to identify minerals,
  write conclusion paragraph.

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MONDAY

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On a blank sheet of paper

• Your paper will have the following sections
• Title
• Introduction Paragraph
• Materials
• Procedures (? just write See Lab Instructions)
• Results (This will be the completed data table)
• Modified Conclusion

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Title and Introduction

• Name, date, period, 36 in the upper right hand
  corner.
• Write Mineral Detective Lab across the top.
• On the first line, write Partner(s) ________
• Skip a line and write INTRODUCTION
• Please take 5 minutes to write ONE paragraph that
  answers these questions
• What is the purpose of this lab?
• Why is the information learned in this lab
  important?
• Who could benefit from this information?

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Materials

• Skip a line and write MATERIALS.
• Remember that to earn full credit, EACH material
  must have both an amount and a size (if
  applicable.)
• Create a bulleted list that includes the
  following
• 1 small Magnifying glass
• 8 different small mineral specimens
• 1 Penny
• 1 small Streak plate
• 1 small Steel nail
• 1 Data table
• 9 medium sized ice cubes
• 1 paper towel
• 16 100mL beakers (for whole class)
• 400mL vinegar (for whole class)
• 400mL tap water (for whole class)
• 1 metal tray to hold beakers

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Procedures

• Skip a line and write PROCEDURES.
• Write See Lab Instructions.

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Test 1 Observations

• Obtain 8 different mineral samples. They will
  initially be identified using numbers 1-8.
• Match the mineral to its number using the very
  brief descriptions in the Procedures.
• Use a magnifying glass to carefully observe each
  mineral. Record a detailed description in your
  data table.
• Please focus on TEXTURE and LUSTER.

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Test 2 Light Interaction Test

• First, identify if each mineral is opaque,
  translucent, or transparent. Record your
  observations on the data table.
• Second, test all of your TRANSPARENT minerals for
  double refraction.
• Do they cause any of the lines/letters to appear
  double when placed on them and slowly rotated?
  Record your observations on the data table.

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TUESDAY

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Test 6 Smell Test

• Some minerals have very unique or distinctive
  smells. It is easiest to smell a mineral if you
  have a fresh sample of its powder.
• Test the minerals in the following order
  8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.
• Rub each mineral back and forth a few times on
  the streak plate. Immediately smell the powder.
• Record all observations in the data table.

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Test 3 Streak Test

• Streak is the color of the minerals powder.
• Rub each mineral ONE OR TWO TIMES ONLY on the
  streak plate.
• Record the color of the powder that rubs off each
  mineral on the data table.

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WEDNESDAY

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Test 4 Hardness

• Hardness describes how resistant a mineral is to
  being scratched.
• A geologist named Freidrich Mohs developed a
  scale for rating the hardness of minerals the
  higher the number, the harder the mineral.

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Test 4 Hardness

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Test 4 Hardness

• Can it be scratched with a nail?

NO
(These minerals are gt5)
YES
(These minerals are lt5 )
Can it be scratched with a copper penny?
YES
NO
These are lt2
YES
(These are lt3)
(3-5)
These are between 2-3
Can it be scratched with a fingernail?
NO
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Test 5 Cleavage

• Cleavage is a word used to describe how a mineral
  splits or breaks.
• Observe the minerals to determine if they have
• PERFECT CLEAVAGE The broken surface is perfectly
  flat. Light reflects off when tilted back and
  forth.
• GOOD CLEAVAGE Some of the broken surfaces appear
  perfectly flat. When the mineral is tilted back
  and forth in the light, there appears to be ONE
  position that reflects light very well.
• POOR/NO CLEAVAGE The broken surfaces are
  irregular. Although the mineral might be shiny,
  none of the surfaces are perfectly flat.

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THURSDAY

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Test 3 Double Refraction

• Lay each TRANSPARENT mineral across the straight
  and wavy lines on the instructions.
• Slowly rotate the mineral and see if any of the
  lines appear double.
• If yes this mineral has double refraction and
  record this in your data table in the Light
  Interaction column.

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Test 7 ice

• Work with another group to conserve resources!
• Place 8 ice cubes on top of a paper towel.
• Place each mineral on top of an ice cube.
• Make observations for at least 10 minutes.
• When finished, dry each mineral and put back into
  tray.

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Test Solubility

• This test will take 24 hours.
• This test will be completed as a class to
  conserve resources.
• We will place each mineral in water and in
  vinegar (weak acid) to see if they dissolve.
• We will record our observations tomorrow.

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Time to Identify!
1. Mineral has good or perfect cleavageGo to
2 Mineral has poor/no cleavage.Go to 5 2.
Mineral is opaqueFeldspar Mineral is
translucent or transparent..Go to 3 3. Mineral
has double refractionCalcite Mineral does
NOT have double refractionGo to 4 4. Mineral
is soluble in water and acidHalite Mineral
is NOT soluble in water and acidMica 5. Mineral
is harder than 5 on Hardness scaleGo to
6 Mineral is softer than 5 on Hardness scaleGo
to 7 6. Has greenish/black streakPyrite
Has no (colorless) streakRose
Quartz 7. Has rotten egg smell..Sulfur
Has no smell.Hematite
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Conclusion Paragraph
Please answer the following questions in your
conclusion paragraph 1.) What were the
purpose(s) of this lab? 2.) Give the name of each
mineral, describe it, (3-4 words) and explain
what feature(s) give away its identity. 3.)
Identify 3 sources of error in this lab, and how
you could avoid these errors in the future. 4.)
Discuss two questions that you still have about
minerals.
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The end!

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