What are distinctive properties of a mineral?
1 Answer
They have specific physical, chemical and optical properties.
Explanation:
A mineral is a naturally-occurring, inorganic solid which possesses a characteristic internal atomic structure and a definite chemical composition. Crystalline solids are those solids in which the atoms composing the solid have an orderly, repeated pattern.
http://mineralogy4kids.org/mineral-properties
Minerals will have definite chemical compositions, but these compositions may vary within given limits. Substances that have these features will also have distinctive physical properties such as color, crystal form, cleavage, luster, streak, etc.
The chemical properties of minerals mainly reflect the chemical properties of the atoms present in each. However, even here these properties depend on the way the atoms are bound in the mineral's crystal structure.
