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Frederick Mohs (1773-1839), a German mineralogist who devised a scale for determining the hardness of an unknown rock or mineral, which is often very useful in the identification process. This scale is a measure of a mineral's resistance to abrasion and is now known as the Mohs Scale of Hardness. The scale is defined by ten fairly common minerals (except for the diamond) of known hardness that are numerically ordered from the softest (1) to the hardest (10). Talc has a value of H=1, while the diamond has a value of H=10. The Mohs Scale of Hardness is based on the simple and observable fact that a harder material will scratch a softer one.
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Cutler Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Mohs, Frederick". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 18, 2006; Last revised Date August 18, 2006; Retrieved May 24, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mohs,_Frederick>
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The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (Full Bio)
Frederick Mohs (1773-1839), a German mineralogist who devised a scale for determining the hardness of an unknown rock or mineral, which is often very useful in the identification process. This scale is a measure of a mineral's resistance to abrasion and is now known as the Mohs Scale of Hardness. The scale is defined by ten fairly common minerals (except for the diamond) of known hardness that are numerically ordered from the softest (1) to the hardest (10). Talc has a value of H=1, while the diamond has a value of H=10. The Mohs Scale of Hardness is based on the simple and observable fact that a harder material will scratch a softer one.
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