Mohs scale of hardness is a great tool to help Id stuff we all find.
Lets have a look at what that is and how we can use it in the field.
Also we will compare Mohs scale to "absolute" hardness which gives us more of an idea how much each hardness differs......you will be suprised.
Here's some info about Mohs from Wikipedia's pages....
i need to laminate this scale to keep in my trailer. i keep losing the other ones that i had.thankyou!
You are very welcome Russ.
Now for all of you reading this thread and checkin' out the wiki info........
What is harder than 10?
CP
11???? or Fullerite <10 and <10 aggregated diamond nanorods
All five of my kids heads.
I wonder where they get that from Jim.....hehe
Im going to pin this topic. Shouldnt have to dig for good info.
a good idea for this is to add it to your mineral identification kit if you have one. it consists of all the common items that you can readily get to do you scratch test. these atleast allow you to narrow the choices down to a smaller group to identify.i also have a book that i bought thatll help me narrow them down further. but still i have problems getting it correct.even the picture here on this site(kids corner) will help narrow your choices. but a lot of minerals (to me) look alike still!
The easiest way to remember the Mohs Scale of Hardness is to the memorize this sentence:
Texas Girls Can Fix All Fools Quailing The Cowboys Dream.
T (Texas) = Talc
G (Girls) = Gympsum
C (Can) - Calcilte
F (Fix) = Feldspar
A (All) = Apatite
F (Fools) = Feldspar
Q (Quailing) = Quartz
T (The) = Topaz
C (Cowboys) = Corundum
D (Dream) = Diamond
Remember this sentence and you'll be able to quote the Mohs Scale of Hardness whenever needed.
While this is nothing I carry you can purchase hardness testers which are nothing more than a case containing scribes of different hardness corresponding to the Mohs Scale of Hardness.
that dont work for me! when i start saying that i get as far as Texas girls and my mind starts wandering!
Another tip when testing for hardness........
When using a penny, make sure you use a copper one made in 1982 or before.
Russ got it right too........Fullerite and diamond nanorods, those are 10+ on the Mohs scale. Very interesting how they create them too.
Great info everyone!
Here is a chart that we have. It varies a bit from the Wiki page with the hardness scale but I think this one is correct.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Some great info in this thread for those looking to help identify some of their finds.
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