Mohs scale

American  

[mohz] / moʊz /

noun

1. a scale of hardness used in mineralogy. Its degrees, in increasing hardness, are: talc 1; gypsum 2; calcite 3; fluorite 4; apatite 5; feldspar 6; quartz 7; topaz 8; sapphire 9; diamond 10. MSH

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Mohs scale British  

/ məʊz /

noun

1. a scale for expressing the hardness of solids by comparing them with ten standards ranging from talc, with a value of 1, to diamond, with a value of 10

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Mohs scale Scientific  

/ mōz /

1. A scale used to measure the relative hardness of a mineral by its resistance to scratching. From softest to hardest, the ten minerals of the Mohs scale are talc (measuring 1 on the scale), gypsum, calcite, fluorite, apatite, orthoclase, quartz, topaz, corundum, and diamond (measuring 10 on the scale).

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Etymology

Origin of Mohs scale

1875–80; named after F. Mohs (1773–1839), German mineralogist

Example Sentences

The Mohs scale was developed by German geologist Fredrick Mohs in the early 20th century, although the idea of identifying minerals by hardness goes back thousands of years.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

These minerals are shown in Figure 2.18, with the Mohs scale of hardness along the bottom axis.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Figure 2.18 Minerals and reference materials in the Mohs scale of hardness.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Regard with open scorn any retailer who gets too pushy—anyone whose hard sell would rate above a 9 on the Mohs scale.

From Slate • Jun. 12, 2013

On the Mohs scale, which measures minerals’ hardness from 1 to 10, corundum ranks at 9.

From BusinessWeek • May 31, 2011