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Which mineral property is easily observed, but can be unreliable when it comes to mineral identification?

a. streak
b. color
c. cleavage
d. hardness

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The mineral property that is easily observed but unreliable for identification is color due to variations caused by impurities.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mineral property that is easily observed but can be unreliable when it comes to mineral identification is color. Color is often affected by small impurities in a mineral's chemical composition, which can lead to a wide range of colors for the same mineral. This makes color a diagnostic challenge in mineral identification.

For example, quartz can exhibit almost any color depending on such impurities. While color is the most straightforward to observe, it isn't a reliable indicator because the same mineral can appear in a variety of colors due to these impurities. As an alternative, properties like streak, hardness, and cleavage are also used to identify minerals. Streak, for instance, refers to the color of a mineral in its powdered form and is more consistent than the color of the mineral itself.

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