A naturally occurring solid with a definite chemical makeup and crystal structure

Rock containing useful metal worth mining

What is a streak test?

Rubbing a mineral on porcelain to see its powder color

Minerals Trivia: 10 Questions With Answers

This minerals trivia covers what minerals are, quartz and feldspar, the Mohs hardness scale, diamonds and corundum, gemstones, ores and how minerals are identified. Ten questions with answers on the building blocks of rocks.

Start Minerals Trivia

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Definition
What is a mineral?
Common
Which is the most abundant mineral group in Earth's crust?
Quartz
Quartz is made of which elements?
Mohs
What does the Mohs scale measure?
Hardest
Which mineral is 10 on the Mohs scale?
Softest
Which mineral is 1 on the Mohs scale?
Gems
Rubies and sapphires are varieties of which mineral?
Fool's gold
What is fool's gold?
Ore
What is an ore?
Streak
What is a streak test?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is a mineral?
Answer: A naturally occurring solid with a definite chemical makeup and crystal structure
Rocks are made of minerals.
Q2: Which is the most abundant mineral group in Earth's crust?
Answer: Feldspars
Feldspars make up about half of the crust.
Q3: Quartz is made of which elements?
Answer: Silicon and oxygen
It is very common and hard.
Q4: What does the Mohs scale measure?
Answer: Hardness
Friedrich Mohs created it in 1812.
Q5: Which mineral is 10 on the Mohs scale?
Answer: Diamond
It is the hardest natural mineral.
Q6: Which mineral is 1 on the Mohs scale?
Answer: Talc
It is used in talcum powder.
Q7: Rubies and sapphires are varieties of which mineral?
Answer: Corundum
Traces of other elements give their colors.
Q8: What is fool's gold?
Answer: Pyrite
It is iron sulfide.
Q9: What is an ore?
Answer: Rock containing useful metal worth mining
Hematite is an iron ore.
Q10: What is a streak test?
Answer: Rubbing a mineral on porcelain to see its powder color
Streak color can differ from the mineral's surface.

Minerals Trivia – Building Blocks of Rocks

Minerals are naturally occurring solids with specific chemical compositions and orderly crystal structures. More than 5,000 minerals are known, but just a few, like feldspar and quartz, make up most rocks in Earth's crust.

Geologists identify minerals by properties such as color, streak, luster, hardness, cleavage and crystal shape. The Mohs scale ranks hardness from soft talc to diamond, the hardest natural mineral.

Minerals are essential to daily life. Ores provide metals for buildings and electronics, gems are prized for jewelry and minerals like quartz and lithium power technology from watches to batteries.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for students learning about minerals.

What minerals are
Which minerals are common
What the Mohs scale measures
What gems are made of
What fool's gold is

Did You Know?

Halite is rock salt.
Graphite and diamond are both carbon.
Mica splits into thin sheets.
Emeralds are beryl.
Some minerals glow under UV light.