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Characteristics of Trace Minerals

Trace minerals are minerals that the body only needs in very small quantities. These include selenium, iron, fluoride, manganese, cobalt, zinc and iodine. Trace minerals are identified by their physical characteristics. The physical characteristics of trace minerals include shape and color, luster and streak, hardness and density, cleavage and fracture, and tenacity and crystal habit. All of these physical characteristics influence the overall minerals and their growth, and helps to identify them.

  1. Color and Shape

    • Trace minerals have six different shapes. Trace minerals have crystal forms, but not all of them will resemble crystals. The colors of trace minerals are numerous. Some trace minerals will also come in more than one color.

    Luster and Streak

    • Luster is a physical characteristic of trace minerals that refers to the quality and quantity of light that the minerals' exterior surface reflects. Streak refers to the color of trace minerals when they are powdered. When trace minerals are powdered they often are a different color than when they are whole minerals.

    Hardness and Density

    • Hardness is a physical characteristic of trace minerals that refers to how difficult the smooth surface of trace minerals is to scratch. Fluoride is the trace mineral with the most hardness, making it the most difficult to scratch trace mineral. Density refers to how dense a trace material is. The deeper in the Earth's crust a mineral is formed, the more pressure is it under and therefore the more dense it will be.

    Cleavage and Fracture

    • A cleavage plane is a physical characteristic that refers to whether or not minerals will smoothly split. Trace minerals with a cleavage plane will break flat and clean in one direction. Fracture is the opposite of cleavage. Trace minerals that fracture when they are broken do not have a cleavage plane.

    Tenacity and Crystal Habit

    • Tenacity is a physical characteristic of trace minerals that refers to how they behave under deformation. It describes how trace minerals react when they are crushed, forced, cut, struck and bent. Crystal habit refers to the trace minerals' preferred growth pattern of its crystals whether in aggregate or individual form.

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