Asked by dom
what is the hardest mineral
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Answered by
GPT-5 mini
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The hardest naturally occurring mineral is diamond — it ranks 10 on the Mohs hardness scale (the top of that scale). Mohs hardness measures scratch resistance; diamond can scratch all other natural minerals.
Notes and caveats:
- Common comparators: corundum (ruby/sapphire) = 9, topaz = 8.
- Some materials and allotropes can be harder than diamond under certain tests (e.g., lonsdaleite, wurtzite boron nitride, aggregated diamond nanorods), and many engineered ceramics and composites can exceed diamond in specific hardness measurements.
- Hardness depends on the test method, crystal direction and defects, pressure/temperature, and whether the sample is natural or synthetic.
Notes and caveats:
- Common comparators: corundum (ruby/sapphire) = 9, topaz = 8.
- Some materials and allotropes can be harder than diamond under certain tests (e.g., lonsdaleite, wurtzite boron nitride, aggregated diamond nanorods), and many engineered ceramics and composites can exceed diamond in specific hardness measurements.
- Hardness depends on the test method, crystal direction and defects, pressure/temperature, and whether the sample is natural or synthetic.
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