Tenacity
From Conservapedia
A mineral's tenacity is its capacity to resist the stress of crushing, tearing, bending, or breaking. Tenacity is usually described by the following terms:
| Brittle | Easily broken into a powder by cutting or hammering. |
| Sectile | Can be cut by a knife into thin shavings. |
| Malleable | Can be hammered into thin sheets like gold or copper. |
| Flexible | Can be bent, but will not return to original form when stress is released. |
| Elastic | Can be bent (like a spring) and will return to original form when stress is released. |
Sources
- Chesterman, Charles W. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1987)
