{"id":79619,"date":"2025-07-29T09:58:45","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T08:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyeriagordillo.com\/?p=79619"},"modified":"2025-07-29T09:58:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T08:58:45","slug":"the-mohs-scale-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-what-it-is-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyeriagordillo.com\/en\/la-escala-de-mohs-que-es-como-funciona-y-para-que-sirve\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mohs Scale: What It Is, How It Works and What It's For"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mohs scale<\/strong> is an essential tool in geology, mineralogy and even jewellery. It is a comparative system that measures the relative hardness of minerals<\/strong>, i.e. its ability to resist being scratched by other materials. Although developed in the 19th century, it is still widely used today for its simplicity and practical utility.<\/p>\n

What is hardness in minerals?<\/h2>\n
\"Friedrich
Friedrich Mohs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the field of mineralogy, the hardness<\/strong> does not refer to toughness or fracture toughness, but exclusively to the resistance of a mineral to scratching<\/strong>. This physical property depends mainly on the internal crystal structure<\/strong> and the type of atomic bonding<\/strong> that binds its components together.<\/p>\n

A hard mineral will easily scratch a softer one, but the reverse will not be true. This simple observation is the principle on which the scale he developed is based. Friedrich Mohs<\/strong><\/a>, a German mineralogist, in 1812.<\/p>\n

How does the Mohs scale work?<\/h2>\n

The scale consists of 10 reference minerals<\/strong>, The list is ordered from the softest to the hardest. Each of these can scratch all the previous ones in the list, but will be scratched by the ones after them. The scale is not linear; this means that the difference in hardness between two consecutive minerals is not necessarily the same. For example, the diamond<\/strong> (10) is significantly harder than the corundum<\/strong> (9), even if they are adjacent to each other on the scale.<\/p>\n

The 10 standard minerals on the scale are:<\/h3>\n
\"Mohs
Mohs hardness scale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
  1. \n

    Talc<\/strong> - Extremely soft, melts to the touch.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Plaster<\/strong> - Although soft, it can be easily scratched with the fingernail.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Calcite<\/strong> - It is scratched with a copper coin.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Fluorite<\/strong> - It has a vitreous lustre; it scratches with a steel knife.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Apatite<\/strong> - A common component of tooth enamel.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  6. \n

    Orthosa<\/strong> - A common type of feldspar.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  7. \n

    Quartz<\/strong> - Very abundant in the earth's crust and in gemstones such as amethyst.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  8. \n

    Topaz<\/strong> - Precious gemstone, harder than quartz.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  9. \n

    Corundum<\/strong> - It includes varieties such as sapphire and ruby.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  10. \n

    Diamond<\/strong><\/a> - The hardest known natural material; it can only be scratched by another diamond.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Practical examples and everyday objects<\/h2>\n

    In addition to minerals, there are common objects that can also be used as a reference to estimate the hardness of an unknown mineral:<\/p>\n