R Puzzle: You Are Such a Rock Star

by Jennie Hango

Each mineral is labelled with a number. This is the letter to extract from the mineral's name.

Once identified, minerals should be ordered by their hardness according to Mohs' scale. In instances where more than one mineral has the same hardness, those minerals should be alphabetized.

Hardness Mineral Name Extract Letter Position Extract Letter
1 Talc 1 T
1-1.5 Molybdenite 4 Y
2 Graphite 4 P
2-2.5 Muscovite 9 E
2.5-3 Lepidolite 6

O

3 Wulfenite 4 F
3.5-4 Malachite 3 L
4 Fluorite 3 U
4-4.5 Smithsonite 1 S
5 Apatite 4 T
5-5.5 Wollastonite 12 E
5.5-6 Rhodonite 1 R
5.5-6 Sodalite 2 O
6 Microcline 4 R
6 Orthoclase 4 H
6 Turquoise 2 U
7 Amethyst 2 M
7-7.5 Staurolite 6 O
7.5-8 Beryl 3 R

After the letters have been extracted, the phrase "TYPE OF LUSTER OR HUMOR" falls out. A descriptor for both a humor and a mineral's luster is VITREOUS.