Mineral Tables - Minerals and Their Properties (cont) Mineral Hardness Cleavage Other properties Importance Composition Fracture Bauxite (mixture 3 not visible Earthy, white, tan, reddish Source of of Al, OH, O brown; fine grained; Aluminum minerals) massive; often pisolitic Barite 3 - 3.5 3 good Glassy to dull; pale Occurs with ores cleavages colours; high S.G. Calcite (CaCO3) 3 3 perfect Glassy or pearly; variable Common rock cleavages colour; reacts with HCl forming mineral (rhombic) Dolomite 3.5 - 4 3 perfect Glassy to pearly; gray Common rock (CaMg(CO3)2) cleavages or brown; reacts with HCl forming mineral (rhombic) when in powdered form Malachite 1 - 4 not visible Bright green colour; occurs with copper (Cu2CO3(OH)2) as fine glassy crystals or ores more commonly as earthy encrustations Azurite 1 - 4 not visible Bright blue; occurs as fine Occur with (Cu3(CO)3(OH)2) glassy crystals or more copper ores commonly as earthy encrustations Sphalerite (ZnS) 4 6 good Yellow to brown; resinous Zinc ore cleavages lustre; yellow to brown streak Fluorite (CaF2) 4 4 perfect Glassy varying from Used as a flux to cleavages colourless to pale green or treat ores purple Limonite (mixture 1 - 5 not visible Yellow to dark in Source of iron of Fe, OH, O colour with a minerals) brown streak; usually massive or colliform in texture Apatite (Ca 5 Uneven Glassy; yellow, green, Used in fertilizer phosphate) fracture brown or red hexagonal and in crystals enamel Hematite (Fe2O3) 1 - 6 Uneven Red to brown colour with a Source of iron fracture reddish streak; occurs as fine-grained earthy masses
Mineral Tables - Minerals and Their Properties (cont) Mineral Composition Hardness Cleavage Fracture Other properties Importance Bauxite (mixture of Al, OH, O minerals) 3 not visible Earthy, white, tan, reddish brown; fine grained; massive; often pisolitic Source of Aluminum Barite 3 - 3.5 3 good cleavages Glassy to dull; pale colours; high S.G. Occurs with ores Calcite (CaCO3) 3 3 perfect cleavages (rhombic) Glassy or pearly; variable colour; reacts with HCl Common rock forming mineral Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) 3.5 - 4 3 perfect cleavages (rhombic) Glassy to pearly; gray or brown; reacts with HCl when in powdered form Common rock forming mineral Malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2) 1 - 4 not visible Bright green colour; occurs as fine glassy crystals or more commonly as earthy encrustations with copper ores Azurite (Cu3(CO)3(OH)2) 1 - 4 not visible Bright blue; occurs as fine glassy crystals or more commonly as earthy encrustations Occur with copper ores Sphalerite (ZnS) 4 6 good cleavages Yellow to brown; resinous lustre; yellow to brown streak Zinc ore Fluorite (CaF2) 4 4 perfect cleavages Glassy varying from colourless to pale green or purple Used as a flux to treat ores Limonite (mixture of Fe, OH, O minerals) 1 - 5 not visible Yellow to dark brown in colour with a streak; usually massive or colliform in texture Source of iron Apatite (Ca phosphate) 5 Uneven fracture Glassy; yellow, green, brown or red hexagonal crystals Used in fertilizer and in enamel Hematite (Fe2O3) 1 - 6 Uneven fracture Red to brown colour with a reddish streak; occurs as fine-grained earthy masses Source of iron
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