Reference Tools for Minerals
What’s In This Toolbox?
Mineral Identification Tables
These tables list the physical properties of the minerals examined. They are broken down according to the lustre and colour of the minerals. You can either use the tables from this page, or else download the tables as a PDF file.
NEW! Mineral Identification Decision Tool
This tool is an experimental project that utilizes H5P interactive technology. You use it by making selections related to the physical properties of the mineral you are examining. The tool will guide you through the most relevant properties, and leave you with a much narrower range of minerals to choose from, and the essential information you need to make the final decision. An advantage of this tool is that it includes colours sampled from mineral photos so you don’t have to guess about what written colour descriptions mean.
The “experimental” part of this tool has to do with the underlying software still being in development, and that includes it not yet having the capability to go back on a decision in most cases. If you make the wrong decision by accident, you may need to click through options until you get to the end, then start over. Given that caveat, the best way to use the tool is to have all of your physical property information collected, and then refer to your data as you use it. You can also use it to check your conclusions against the results you get from using the conventional mineral identification tables.
Go to the Decision Tool or click here to launch the tool in a new window.
Mineral Identification Tables
Click here to download the tables in PDF format.
Mineral Identification Decision Tool
Click the “Start the course” button to begin or click here to launch the tool in a new window.