Mineral Identification Laboratory
Run real mineral tests — streak, Mohs hardness, luster, cleavage, density by displacement, magnetism and acid reaction — to identify an unknown specimen.
How to use: run tests on the unknown specimen (color, streak, hardness, luster, cleavage, magnetism, acid, density) from the controls below, then open "Identify & score" to submit your guess. Try the diagnostic-test challenge too.
Based on your results, choose the mineral you think this is:
Challenge 2: pick the diagnostic test
Which single test best tells Calcite apart from Quartz (both are light-colored with a similar look)?
About the Mineral Identification Laboratory
Free mineral identification laboratory. Run real mineral tests — streak, Mohs hardness, luster, cleavage, density by displacement, magnetism and acid reaction — to identify an unknown specimen. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for geology, the mineral identification laboratory runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Run real mineral tests — streak, Mohs hardness, luster, cleavage, density by displacement, magnetism and acid reaction — to identify an unknown specimen. Use it to explore geology ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Mineral Identification Laboratory
- Use the controls to change Test hardness with a pick of Mohs level. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Press "Observe color", "Streak test", "Scratch test", "Observe luster" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Run every test before you guess — no single test is enough.
- Use the Mohs scratch test to narrow the hardness range before guessing.
- Try the HCl test on a sample: if it fizzes, look closely at calcite in the table.
- Get a new unknown sample and see how few tests you need to identify it confidently.
Key ideas you can learn
- Color can be misleading, but streak (the color of a mineral's powder) is far more reliable.
- The Mohs hardness scale ranks minerals 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond) by what scratches what.
- Density equals mass divided by volume; volume can be measured by water displacement.
- Calcite fizzes with dilute HCl acid because it reacts to release CO₂ gas; most other minerals do not.
Where this is used in the real world
Field geologists and mining engineers use exactly this sequence of simple tests to identify minerals on site before sending samples to a lab.
Who is this simulation for?
Students, teachers and curious learners of all ages.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
Why is streak more reliable than color?
A mineral's surface color can vary with impurities and weathering, but its powdered streak color is far more consistent for a given mineral.
How do you measure density with displacement?
Submerge the mineral in water and measure the volume of water it displaces; density = mass ÷ that volume.
Is the Mineral Identification Laboratory free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Mineral Identification Laboratory work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.