The minerals that are not metallic can be shiny, pearly, or dull. Smell Try smelling the mineral or the streak powder. Taste Halite tastes salty. The shape of the mineral when it crystallized out of solution is the crystal shape. Fracture and cleavage - Look at how the mineral breaks.
Cleavage is the number of directions of smooth planar breakage.
All parallel breakage planes form one direction of cleavage. Fracture is when the mineral breaks in an irregular surface. Specific gravity Cleavage or crystal Other Env. Geo.,, or Econ. These are some minerals to get started on.