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This is Mohs hardness scale.

A 2 column table with 11 rows. The first column is labeled Mineral with entries: talc, gypsum, calcite, fluorite, apatite, orthoclase, quartz, topaz, corundum, diamond. Second column is labeled Hardness with entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Which example lists minerals from hardest to softest?

apatite, quartz, fluorite, talc
diamond, talc, fluorite, topaz
talc, calcite, orthoclase, diamond
corundum, quartz, calcite, gypsum

1 answer

To determine which example lists minerals from hardest to softest, we should refer to the Mohs hardness scale values:

  • Talc - Hardness 1
  • Gypsum - Hardness 2
  • Calcite - Hardness 3
  • Fluorite - Hardness 4
  • Apatite - Hardness 5
  • Orthoclase - Hardness 6
  • Quartz - Hardness 7
  • Topaz - Hardness 8
  • Corundum - Hardness 9
  • Diamond - Hardness 10

Now let's evaluate the options given:

  1. apatite, quartz, fluorite, talc: Hardness values are 5, 7, 4, 1 (not in order).
  2. diamond, talc, fluorite, topaz: Hardness values are 10, 1, 4, 8 (not in order).
  3. talc, calcite, orthoclase, diamond: Hardness values are 1, 3, 6, 10 (not in order).
  4. corundum, quartz, calcite, gypsum: Hardness values are 9, 7, 3, 2 (not in order).

None of the options list the minerals in the correct order from hardest to softest. However, if we need to identify which option comes closest to being in descending order:

  • The closest one regarding the general hardness values is corundum, quartz, calcite, gypsum, where the hardness values are in a descending order.

Thus, though none is perfect, corundum, quartz, calcite, gypsum showcases the closest semblance to being ordered as hardest to softest.