Not only will you be able to identify minerals you will practice the skills of careful observation nessary in any science. A mineral is a naturally occuring , crystalline solid, having a distinct inorganic chemical composition. Naturally occuring means that only substances found in nature can be considered minerals. A crystalline solid refers to the atomic arrangment of the atoms in a substance. This is an orderly, predictable arrangement or pattern on a microscopic scale.
Inorganic chemicals are simply chemicals which can be produced without biologic processes.
This can be done by rubbing the specimin on a porcelene plate. We will have a demonstration during the laboratory session. Every set of cleavage planes has an orientation with resect to the crystalline stucture of the mineral. This orientation is called the cleavage direction . A mineral displaying exellent cleavage will break uniformly along cleavage planes.