This document discusses six key properties that can be used to identify minerals: color, crystals/shape, hardness, streak, cleavage/fracture, and luster. It provides details on each property, such as how color alone cannot identify a mineral but can provide clues. Hardness is measured on Mohs scale from 1-10. Streak refers to the color a mineral leaves when rubbed. Cleavage describes smooth breaks along planes while fracture has rough edges. Luster describes how light reflects off a mineral's surface, such as metallic, vitreous, pearly, or dull. These six properties provide important clues to identify unknown mineral samples.