In mineralogy, tenacity is a mineral's behavior when deformed or broken.
Common terms[edit]
Brittleness[edit]
The mineral breaks or powders easily. Most ionic-bonded minerals are brittle.[1]
Malleability[edit]
The mineral may be pounded out into thin sheets. Metallic-bonded minerals are usually malleable.
Ductility[edit]
The mineral may be drawn into a wire. Ductile materials have to be malleable as well as tough.
Sectility[edit]
May be cut smoothly with a knife. Relatively few minerals are sectile. Sectility is a form of tenacity and can be used to distinguish minerals of similar appearance.[2] Gold, for example, is sectile but pyrite ("fool's gold") is not.
Elasticity[edit]
If bent by an external force, an elastic mineral will spring back to its original shape and size when the stress, that is, the external force, is released.
Plasticity[edit]
If bent by an external force, a plastic mineral will not spring back to its original shape and size when the stress, that is, the external force, is released. It stays bent.
References[edit]
- ^ Nesse, William D. (2000). "Physical Properties of Minerals". Introduction to mineralogy. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN 9780195106916. OCLC 39961846.
- ^ "Sectile - Minerals.net Glossary of Terms". www.minerals.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.