Other
Mineralogical Society of America: Mineral Identification Key: Mineral Properties
Scientists classify minerals based on a set of physical properties. Each of these properties is described in detail.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Georgia Virtual Learning: Geology: Minerals
In this amazing interactive tutorial, you'll learn about minerals - the building blocks or rocks and the Earth. We'll talk about what makes something a mineral, and how differences in these minerals let us organize them into different...
San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum: Mineral Matters: Hardness
Identifying a mineral by hardness? This website explains how to use the Mohs' hardness scale and provides examples.
James Madison University
James Madison University: Mineral Hardness and Cleavage
An explanation of the Mohs Hardness scale is followed by illustrations of crystal structures and cleavage.
James Madison University
James Madison University: Mineral Luster
Mineral photos depicting metallic and non-metallic luster. Includes shiny, glassy, and earthy examples.
Other
Webmineral.com: Mineral Luster
This site lists thirty different terms for describing the luster of minerals.
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Physical Characteristics of Minerals
The properties of minerals are defined in this resource, such as color, luster, cleavage, hardness, streak, and more. Included are pictures of minerals along with detailed descriptions. You can also search for minerals by name, class, or...
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Mineral Gallery: What Is Crystal Cleavage?
After explaining the difference between cleavage and fracture, this resource discusses various types of cleavage and their importance in identifying minerals.
![Indiana University Bloomington: Mohs Hardness Scale [Pdf] Graphic](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Indiana University Bloomington: Mohs Hardness Scale [Pdf] Graphic")
Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington: Mohs Hardness Scale [Pdf]
A chart of Mohs hardness scale with pictures of minerals at each level of hardness.
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Mineral Gallery: What Is Streak?
Streak is the color of the powder of a mineral. This page discusses the importance of streak when identifying minerals.