list three features that a material must have to be a mineral?
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1) Naturally occurring\n2) Inorganic\n3) An ordered crystalline structure
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ALways by sight at first. The most important properties are visual. Eg: colour, roughness, presence of any strange um 'flecks'..... or 'veins'. And then next, scratch something with it and put it into "moe's scale of hardness"
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Quartz is the mineral that has the best combination of durability and abundance, so much sand is quartz.  It is hard and common, so it must be a typical component of cement.
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There is a whole battery of scientific tests used in mineral identification today however there are a number of tests that have been in use for a very long time which still work well.\n1) Observation - what does it look like, colour, the streak it leaves on an unglazed tile. the weight in your hand etc.\n2) Hardness. Its resistance to being scratched by a range of other minerals (Moe's scale)\n3) Density - how much it weighs compared to the same volume of water.\n4) The shape and form of its crystals.\n5) Chemical analysis.\nIf you put these together with a lot of experience there are not many minerals you cannot identify.
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Some minerals may also be fluorescent under ultraviolet light, that is they absorb UV light and emit in the visible. Other optical properties such as index of refraction and pleochroism (differential light absorption) require an optical microscope to measure.  Certain minerals that display fluorescent properties also display a multicolored effect when having ample illumination with ultraviolet light.
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If I remember correctly from my science classes, a mineral is essentially a solid substance that has a crystal structure.  (That's two right there - It's solid, and has to be crystal in structure.)  It also has to be inorganic and occurs naturally, and also homogenous.  Not to mention the fact that it's supposed to have a defined chemical composition.  That's more than four characteristics, but I believe them to be all true of minerals....
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The answer to that depends on your application, you need to decide whether you want hardness, ductility, hardness, hardenability, or any of a number of other characteristics
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general characteristics of clastic sedimentary rocks:\n\nthey may...\ncontain layers\nbe dull & earthy in appearance\ncontain clastic material (small grains of rock)\ncontain fossils\nrub off easily b/t fingers\nloosely "glued" together w/ minerals such as iron oxide & calcite
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A chemical properties
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1 physical property\n2 chemical property\n3 chemical property\n4 physical reaction\n4 mixture\n5 work
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Solid and in solids Diamond.\n\nSecond  Alummina and titanium carbide.
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visit  http://webmineral.com/ you can learn what you want with details from there, I sometimes use this site
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more than 35 different types of minerals, mainly Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Selenium, Chloride, Sulfur, Bromide and Manganese.
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1-2-3\none cement (portland)\n2 sand\n3 rock
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The solid phase.  Water is an exception.\nAlso some materials has more than one solid phase, such as carbon which has different structures and therefore different densities for graphic as opposed to diamond.
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1. it forms in nature\n2. it is a solid\n3. it has a definite chemical makeup\n4. it has a crystal structure
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There are 5 steps to take in mineral idenfication, they are: \n\nStep 1 \nDetermine the luster (metallic or nonmetallic) of your mineral. \n\nStep2 \nDetermine the hardness of your mineral. Using a glass plate, see if the mineral scratches it. Be careful, make sure the glass is on a table, do not hold in your hand. Firmly grasp your mineral and draw it over the glass. If the mineral powders, then use your fingernail to feel if the glass is scratched. \n\nStep3 \nDetermine whether your mineral is light-colored or dark-colored (nonmetallics only). \n\nStep4 \nDetermine whether your sample has cleavage. \n\nStep5 \nYour choices have been narrowed down, using the chart see which physical properties match up with your mineral.