Mohs Hardness Scale: Hardness Comparison

Mohs Hardness Scale: Hardness Comparison

The hardness of a mineral is grounded on its capability to noticeably scrape another kind of mineral and its resistance to being scraped or scratched. The test is to make an attempt to produce a scratch or a visible mark by putting a sharp point of one mineral specimen on a smooth or unblemished surface of another mineral. The following situations may be seen when comparing the hardness of both mineral samples:

  • Situation 1 – Sample A is harder than Sample B if A can scrape B.
  • Situation 2 – Sample B is harder than Sample A if A does not scrape B.
  • Situation 3 – It would rather be ineffective to scrape each other’s surfaces if both samples are of equal or similar hardness. Slightly unnoticeable scrapes or scratches may be created or it may be hard to decide if a mark was made.
  • Situation 4 – The hardness of Sample A is in between the hardness of Sample B and Sample C if B can scrape A but cannot be scraped by C.

Diamond was given the highest value of ten because it is the hardest mineral. Softer minerals like Talc, on the other hand, were given the lowest value of one while other minerals, depending on their capability and resistance to scratch were given intermediate values. The scale of increasing hardness is as follows: talc, 1; gypsum, 2; calcite, 3; fluorite, 4; apatite, 5; feldspar, 6; quartz, 7; topaz, 8; corundum, 9; and diamond, 10.