| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| In the Mineral Answer Checks, I don't seem to be able to enter more than one choice for properties such as Micellaneous Visual Properties. What am I doing wrong? |
To make multiple choices in a 'pull down menu', make sure to keep the 'control' key depressed while you enter all your choices. That should do it! |
| Why are one or more of my assigned minerals absent from some of the eight Property Testing Labs? |
To identify your assigned minerals, you can only use properties found in testing lab 'evaluation tables' that contain your mineral numbers. Not all properties are important for identifying every mineral. Some minerals may be successfully identified by perhaps one or two or three properties. Where the property being tested is not important for a particular mineral, that mineral will not be present in the testing lab 'evaluation table'. |
| Why do some Property Testing Labs have more than one sample of my mineral? |
The properties of some minerals, such as the color of quartz or the crystal shape of staurolite, may vary from specimen to specimen. In identifying minerals, it is important to be aware of the range of variation in their properties. Where such variation is significant, more than one example of the mineral is provided. |
| There seems to be a lot of terms in Mineralogy. Which do I have to know for exams? |
To see terms you should know and understand for exams, go to the Minerals Keywords List.
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| To what extent am I expected to know the properties shown on the Testing Lab Tables for minerals I have not been assigned? |
You should take an intelligent look at all the properties shown on all the Testing Lab Tables.
- On the Color, Streak and Crystals Testing Labs, take a look at the great variety of colors and shapes.
- On the Breakage Testing Lab, take a look at all the examples of breakage. You don't need to memorize all the terms, but you should understand the concepts.
- On the Miscellaneous Visual and Non-Visual Testing Labs, "click through" the examples to see what the terms mean. Those terms listed on the 'Mineral Keywords List' are the ones you need to know for exams.
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