A geologists working in a national park finds a mineral he is carrying a kit that contains a penny, a hand lens, a piece of tile, a geologic hammer, and a jackknife.

Describe how the geologists can use these items to determine some of the minerals characteristics.

Ok, he can use these items to find the minerals properties.

-Penny: Used to find hardness
-Hand lense: Used to observe the mineral and find it's color.
-Piece of tile: Used to find streak of mineral
-The hammer and jackknife are for finding the minerals fracture

I love geology and I hope this helped!

~ Cassandra Raven Moonstone

No taking answers.

Thanks soooo much Cass!

The geologist can use the kit items to determine some of the mineral's characteristics as follows:

1. Penny: The geologist can determine the mineral's hardness using the penny as a reference. Pennies are made of copper, which has a hardness of around 2.5 on the Mohs scale. By comparing the mineral's hardness to that of a penny, the geologist can estimate its relative hardness.

2. Hand lens: The hand lens is used to examine the mineral's physical properties, such as its color, crystal structure, and surface features. By closely observing the mineral through the hand lens, the geologist can gather important details about its appearance.

3. Piece of tile: The piece of tile can be used to test the mineral's streak. By rubbing the mineral against the tile, the geologist can determine the color of its streak, which may be different from its external color. Streak color can provide valuable insights into the mineral's composition.

4. Geologic hammer: The geologic hammer is useful for determining the mineral's fracture and cleavage characteristics. By carefully striking the mineral, the geologist can observe how it breaks. Some minerals may have characteristic cleavage planes, which can be identified through the hammer's impact.

5. Jackknife: The jackknife can be utilized to test the mineral's hardness and structure further. By trying to scratch the mineral's surface with the blade of the jackknife, the geologist can identify if the mineral is harder than the knife (indicating a higher hardness value) or softer (indicating a lower hardness value).

Using these items, the geologist can gather information about the mineral's hardness, color, crystal structure, surface features, streak, fracture, cleavage, and comparative hardness with respect to other materials. These observations and tests can help in identifying and characterizing the mineral.