The mechanical properties of minerals constitute a sparsely investigated field of study compared with other areas of mineral physics. The minerals for which all crystallomechanical parameters are known are few, and until now it has not been possible to state unequivocally whether one mechanical property alone could be adequately used in defining most minerals. For this reason, it is essential that the mechanical properties and deformations of minerals be investigated, treating mineral crystallomechanics as a section of mineralogy equal in importance to crystallo-optics and crystallochemistry, for example. This book provides a survey of hardness test methods in current worldwide use, and includes examples indicating the merits and deficiencies of these methods. The ample references included in the text are given particularly to enable the reader to broaden his knowledge in a given field. The tables found at the end of the book, as well as the hardness tests results from various methods included in the text itself, are meant to serve as a rough guide in the choice of appropriate test method, whilst simultaneously providing the reader with reference details.
