1
It describes a mineral's resistance to scratching.
2
It describes the way a mineral breaks.
3
It describes how easily a mineral breaks.
4
It describes how the mineral reflects light. It can be metallic if it shines like metals; glassy if it is like glass; pearly, if it shines like a pearl; diamond-like; or dull if it doesn't shine.
5
Some minerals have a very characteristic colour.
6
Is the colour of the powder produced when a mineral is scratched.
7
Some minerals have very characteristic shapes that reflect their crystalline structure. For example, pyrite has cubic shapes and aragonite has hexagonal shapes.
