Mineral identification is the activity of identifying and testing minerals that make up ores by naked eyes or by means of instruments according to the differences in physical and chemical properties of minerals. Mineral identification must combine macroscopic and microscopic identification, with multiple identification methods verified against each other to ensure correct mineral identification. Macroscopic identification mainly identifies minerals from external observation, based on its color, luster, morphology, hardness, density, streak (the color of powder), cleavage, fracture, and other properties (such as elasticity, brittleness, and flexibility) using the naked eye or magnifier and stereomicroscope. Microscopic mineral identification is usually carried out by optical microscope analysis, mineral microbeam analysis, mineral structure analysis, and mineral thermal analysis.
Optical Microscope Analysis
A mineral phase analysis method for observing and identifying minerals and...
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Further Reading
Editorial Board of Mineral Processing Handbook (2005) Mineral processing handbook. Metallurgical Industry Press, Bei**g
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Yiwu, X. (2024). Mineral Identification. In: Kuangdi, X. (eds) The ECPH Encyclopedia of Mining and Metallurgy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2086-0_604
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2086-0_604
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