Hardness II
Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Minerals and other Natural Science topics.
Hardness II
Moh's scale of hardness is a way to decide what the hardness is of a particular mineral specimen you want to identify. The scale rates the hardness of ten minerals from talc (1) to diamond (10). We don't usually have all the minerals on hand, so we substitute things like pennies and knives instead.
If you can scratch the mineral with your fingernail, it's a 1 or a 2. If you can scratch it with a penny, that means the mineral is about 3.5 or less. If you can scratch it with a knife blade or a nail, the hardness of the mineral should be about 5.5 or less. If the mineral can scratch glass (you can get them in hardness kits) the hardness is about 8 or higher.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Susan Sayour |
