Mineral Identification

VerifiedSafe

Identify minerals in the field using physical properties, systematic elimination, and simple field tests.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
ProductivityIntermediate
7/30/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCopilotCodex
#minerals#geology#field-identification#prospecting#hardness-test

Recommended for

Automated summary

Identifies minerals and ores in the field from physical properties — hardness, streak, lustre, cleavage, crystal habit — plus simple chemical tests.

Strengths

  • Systematic elimination workflow backed by a Mohs hardness table and everyday reference tools (fingernail, copper coin, steel nail, glass).
  • Foregrounds genuinely diagnostic criteria such as streak colour, which often differs from the specimen's surface colour (hematite, pyrite).
  • Includes simple chemical tests (10% HCl carbonate test) and hand-lens guidance.
  • Records geological context (host rock, deposit style, associated minerals) before the specimen is handled.

Limitations

  • Minerals harder than the porcelain plate (~7) leave no streak, removing a key diagnostic step.
  • Requires a physical, manipulable specimen — it cannot be applied to a photo or a written description alone.
  • Yields a probable identification, not analytical confirmation (XRD, chemical assay).
When to use it

Use it when you have an unknown specimen or outcrop in hand and need a structured, low-equipment identification, or a quick read on whether a site shows ore indicators.

When not to use it

Avoid it when a lab-grade or contractually binding identification is required, or when the specimen cannot be handled directly.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score88/100

The skill is a static field guide for mineral identification using observational and simple physical tests. It declares only Read as an allowed tool, contains no executable commands, network calls, file operations, or data exfiltration. Mentions of acid and tasting are accompanied by safety cautions and are standard geological field procedures, not code or system risks.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Gold or fool's gold?
I found a bright gold-coloured metallic mineral in a quartz vein. Walk me through a systematic field identification using streak, hardness and lustre tests, and tell me how to distinguish likely gold from fool's gold.
Assess a prospect's indicators
I'm prospecting a site with iron-stained quartz outcrops and scattered dark grey minerals. Apply the mineral identification procedure to help me judge whether these are worthwhile ore indicators or just barren rock.
Plan my field tests
I have a hand lens, a copper coin, a steel nail, a glass plate and an unglazed tile. Explain step by step which hardness and streak tests to run on this unknown specimen, and how to record the results.

name: mineral-identification description: > 硬度、条痕、光沢、劈開、結晶癖、簡易化学テストを用いた鉱物と鉱石のフィールド 同定。体系的消去法、モース硬度計の適用、貴金属・宝石・工業用鉱物の一般的な 鉱石指標を網羅する。未知の岩石や鉱物標本に遭遇した時、探鉱中にサイトが価値ある 鉱物指標を示すかどうかを評価する時、フィールドで鉱石を含む岩石を不毛の岩石と 区別する時、または体系的な観察を通じて地質学的リテラシーを構築する時に使用する。 license: MIT allowed-tools: Read metadata: author: Philipp Thoss version: "1.0" domain: prospecting complexity: intermediate language: natural tags: prospecting, minerals, geology, identification, hardness, streak, field-geology locale: ja source_locale: en source_commit: 33b561c9 translator: claude translation_date: "2026-03-17"

鉱物同定

物理的性質、体系的消去法、簡易フィールドテストを用いてフィールドで鉱物を同定する。

使用タイミング

  • 未知の岩石や鉱物標本を見つけて同定したい時
  • 探鉱中に、サイトが価値ある鉱物の指標を示すかどうか評価する必要がある時
  • フィールドで鉱石を含む岩石を不毛の岩石と区別したい時
  • 体系的な観察を通じて地質学的リテラシーを構築する時

入力

  • 必須: 調査する鉱物標本または露頭
  • 任意: 条痕板(無釉の磁器タイルまたはバスルームタイルの裏面)
  • 任意: 鉄釘またはナイフの刃(硬度 ~5.5)
  • 任意: ガラス板(硬度 ~5.5)
  • 任意: 銅貨(硬度 ~3.5)
  • 任意: ハンドレンズ(10倍)
  • 任意: 希塩酸(10% HCl)炭酸塩テスト用

手順

ステップ1: 触れずに観察する

取り扱う前に、標本を文脈の中で観察する。

Field Context:
+--------------------+------------------------------------------+
| Observation        | Record                                   |
+--------------------+------------------------------------------+
| Host rock          | What type of rock is it in/on?           |
|                    | (granite, basite, sandstone, schist...)   |
+--------------------+------------------------------------------+
| Geological setting | Vein, disseminated, massive, placer,     |
|                    | weathering surface, cave deposit          |
+--------------------+------------------------------------------+
| Associated         | What other minerals are nearby?           |
| minerals           | (quartz veins often host gold; iron       |
|                    | staining suggests oxidation zone)        |
+--------------------+------------------------------------------+
| Crystal form       | Visible crystals? Habit? Size?           |
| (if visible)       | (cubic, prismatic, tabular, massive)     |
+--------------------+------------------------------------------+

期待結果: 標本を取り扱う前にフィールドコンテキストが記録されていること。

失敗時: 地質学的コンテキストが不明な場合(遊離標本、都市部での発見)、物理的性質のみで進める — コンテキストは候補を絞るのに役立つが、厳密には必須ではない。

ステップ2: 物理的性質のテスト

診断テストを体系的に適用する。

Diagnostic Property Tests:

LUSTER (how it reflects light):
- Metallic: reflects like metal (pyrite, galena, gold)
- Vitreous: glassy (quartz, feldspar)
- Pearly: like a pearl (muscovite, talc surfaces)
- Silky: like silk fibers (asbestos, satin spar gypsum)
- Earthy/dull: no reflection (kaolin, limonite)
- Adamantine: brilliant, diamond-like (diamond, zircon)

HARDNESS (Mohs scale — scratch test):
+------+-----------+----------------------------------+
| Mohs | Reference | Can Be Scratched By              |
+------+-----------+----------------------------------+
| 1    | Talc      | Fingernail                       |
| 2    | Gypsum    | Fingernail (barely)              |
| 3    | Calcite   | Copper coin                      |
| 4    | Fluorite  | Steel nail (easily)              |
| 5    | Apatite   | Steel nail (just)                |
| 6    | Feldspar  | Steel nail cannot scratch        |
| 7    | Quartz    | Scratches glass                  |
| 8    | Topaz     | Scratches quartz                 |
| 9    | Corundum  | Scratches topaz                  |
| 10   | Diamond   | Scratches everything             |
+------+-----------+----------------------------------+

Test: try to scratch the specimen with each reference tool,
starting from soft to hard. The hardness is between the tool
that fails and the tool that succeeds.

STREAK (powder colour on porcelain):
- Drag the specimen firmly across an unglazed porcelain tile
- Record the colour of the powder line
- Streak colour is often different from specimen colour
- Critical: hematite is grey-black but streaks RED
- Critical: pyrite is gold but streaks BLACK
- Minerals harder than the streak plate (~7) will not leave a streak

CLEAVAGE AND FRACTURE:
- Cleavage: breaks along flat planes (mica: 1 direction, feldspar: 2)
- Fracture: breaks irregularly (conchoidal = curved like glass, uneven, fibrous)
- Note number of cleavage directions and angles between them

SPECIFIC GRAVITY (heft test):
- Hold the specimen and assess: does it feel heavier or lighter
  than expected for its size?
- Heavy: possible metallic ore (galena, gold, magnetite)
- Light: possible pumice, sulfur, or organic material

期待結果: 標本のプロファイル: 光沢、硬度範囲、条痕色、劈開/断口タイプ、相対密度。

失敗時: 性質が曖昧な場合(例: 金属光沢とガラス光沢の間 — 「亜金属」)、両方の選択肢を記録する。曖昧さは確信度を下げるが、同定を妨げない。

ステップ3: 特殊テストの適用

特定の鉱物グループに対する追加テスト。

Special Field Tests:

MAGNETISM:
- Hold a magnet near the specimen
- Strong attraction: magnetite (or possibly pyrrhotite)
- Weak attraction: some iron-bearing minerals

ACID TEST (10% HCl):
- Drop acid on the specimen surface
- Vigorous fizzing: calcite (CaCO3)
- Fizzing on powder only: dolomite (scratch surface first, then apply acid)
- No fizzing: not a carbonate

TASTE (only for suspected halite):
- Salty taste: halite (NaCl)
- Do NOT taste unknown minerals generally — some are toxic

SMELL:
- Sulfur: rotten egg smell (sulfides when scratched)
- Clay: earthy "petrichor" smell when breathed on (clay minerals)

TENACITY:
- Brittle: shatters when struck (most silicates)
- Malleable: deforms without breaking (gold, copper, silver)
- Flexible: bends and stays (chlorite, some micas)
- Elastic: bends and springs back (muscovite mica)

期待結果: 同定をさらに絞り込む追加の診断データ。

失敗時: 特殊テストが利用できない場合(磁石がない、酸がない)、基本的な性質で進める — ほとんどの一般的な鉱物にはそれで十分である。

ステップ4: 消去法による同定

性質プロファイルを既知の鉱物と照合する。

Common Mineral Identification Key (simplified):

METALLIC LUSTER:
- Black streak + hard (6+) + cubic crystals = PYRITE
- Black streak + soft (2.5) + heavy + cubic = GALENA
- Red-brown streak + hard (5-6) + heavy = HEMATITE
- Yellow streak + soft (1.5-2.5) + yellow = GOLD (if malleable)
  or CHALCOPYRITE (if brittle, harder, green-black streak)
- Black streak + magnetic = MAGNETITE

NON-METALLIC, LIGHT-COLORED:
- Vitreous + hard (7) + conchoidal fracture = QUARTZ
- Vitreous + hard (6) + 2 cleavage planes = FELDSPAR
- Vitreous + soft (3) + fizzes in acid = CALCITE
- Pearly + very soft (1) + greasy feel = TALC
- Vitreous + soft (2) + 1 perfect cleavage = GYPSUM

NON-METALLIC, DARK-COLORED:
- Vitreous + hard (5-6) + 2 cleavage at ~90 degrees = PYROXENE
- Vitreous + hard (5-6) + 2 cleavage at ~60/120 degrees = AMPHIBOLE
- Vitreous + soft (2.5-3) + 1 perfect cleavage + flexible = BIOTITE (mica)

期待結果: 鉱物の同定、または2-3の候補のショートリストと、それらを区別するために必要な判別テスト。

失敗時: 標本が一般的な鉱物のいずれとも一致しない場合、単一の鉱物ではなく岩石(鉱物の集合体)である可能性があるか、実験室分析(薄片、XRD)が必要な場合がある。

バリデーション

  • [ ] 取り扱い前にフィールドコンテキストが記録された
  • [ ] 自然光下で光沢が評価された
  • [ ] 少なくとも2つの基準物質に対して硬度がテストされた
  • [ ] 条痕色が記録された(標本が条痕板より柔らかい場合)
  • [ ] 劈開または断口パターンが記録された
  • [ ] 推測ではなく体系的消去法で同定に至った
  • [ ] 類似鉱物が明示的に考慮され区別された

よくある落とし穴

  • 黄鉄鉱と金の混同:「愚者の金」(黄鉄鉱)はより硬く(6 vs 2.5)、脆く(金は可鍛性)、条痕は黒い(金は金色の条痕)。テストは決定的である — 使用すること
  • 条痕の無視: 標本の色は信頼性がない(赤鉄鉱は灰色、赤、または黒になりうる)。条痕色は一貫しており診断的である
  • 汚染されたツールでの引っかき: 錆びた鉄釘は偽の条痕を生む。使用前にテストツールを清掃する
  • 結晶癖の仮定: 多くの鉱物はフィールドで良く形成された結晶をめったに示さない。塊状または粒状の形態がより一般的である — 同定に目に見える結晶を要求しない
  • 風化した表面と真の色の混同: テスト前に標本を割って新鮮な面を露出させる。風化皮殻は下の鉱物を完全に隠すことがある

関連スキル

  • gold-washing — 沖積金の回収は、河川堆積物を読み取り金を含む砂利を評価するために鉱物同定スキルを使用する

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/download' --output '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

Tools declared by the author (check availability in your agent): Read

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/mineral-identification' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj' '.claude/skills/mineral-identification'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/mineral-identification' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj' '.cursor/skills/mineral-identification'

Codex
test -f '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.agents/skills' && test ! -e '.agents/skills/mineral-identification' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj' '.agents/skills/mineral-identification'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj'

openskills read 'mineral-identification-ms71b3bj'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/mineral-identification-ms71b3bj/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

Related skills