Mohs scale of mineral hardness
| Mohs hardness | Mineral | Absolute hardness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talc | 1 |
| 2 | Gypsum | 3 |
| 3 | Calcite | 9 |
| 4 | Fluorite | 21 |
6 more rows
What is the hardness of your fingernail?
fingernail (hardness = 2.5) copper penny (hardness = 3) glass plate or steel knife (hardness = 5.5) steel file (hardness = 6.5)
What is diamond hardness?
10
Are all minerals hard?
Minerals with small atoms, packed tightly together with strong covalent bonds throughout tend to be the hardest minerals. A mineral can only be scratched by a harder substance. A hard mineral can scratch a softer mineral, but a soft mineral can not scratch a harder mineral (no matter how hard you try).
What number is talc on the Mohs scale?
Talc (1), the softest mineral on the Mohs scale has a hardness greater than gypsum (2) in the direction that is perpendicular to the cleavage. Diamonds (10) also show a variation in hardness (the octahedral faces are harder than the cube faces).
What is the hardness of a penny?
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness consists of ten different minerals, but some other common objects can also be used: these include the fingernail (hardness 2.5), a steel knife or window glass (5.5), a steel file (6.5), and a penny. The penny has always been assigned a hardness of around 3.
Can a knife scratch a diamond?
Medium – can be scratched by a knife or nail, Mohs’ 3-5; Hard – cannot be scratched by a knife but can scratch glass, Mohs’ 6-9; Diamond is the hardest known mineral, Mohs’ 10. Rather, it is a method of gauging the relative hardness of a mineral.
What is harder than a diamond?
Scientists have calculated that wurtzite boron nitride and lonsdaleite (hexagonal diamond) both have greater indentation strengths than diamond. Source: English Wikipedia. (PhysOrg.com) — Currently, diamond is regarded to be the hardest known material in the world.
What can break a diamond?
As an example, you can scratch steel with a diamond, but you can easily shatter a diamond with a hammer. The diamond is hard, the hammer is strong. Whether something is hard or strong depends on its internal structure. A diamond is made entirely of carbon atoms which are joined in a lattice-type structure.
What mineral group is Diamond in?
| Physical Properties of Diamond | |
|---|---|
| Chemical Classification | Native element – Carbon |
| Mohs Hardness | 10. Diamond is the hardest-known mineral. However, the hardness of diamond is directional. It is hardest parallel to its octahedral planes and softest parallel to its cubic planes. |
| Specific Gravity | 3.4 to 3.6 |
9 more rows