The Study of Minerals

How do you identify minerals? What are some of the special properties of minerals? In this section we will look at some of the more special, more amazing minerals that you may encounter. Here we look at some of the most exciting members of the gem and mineral world. This section is sponsored by the Amazing Gem and Mineral Museum. It contains some interesting photographs and information about many rare and unusual gemstones, and some that are a part of our everyday lives.

 Aragonite (mineral of pearls)

Benitoite (very rare)

Bismuth (helps you let off some steam)

Calcite (how can that crystal do that?)

Cinnabar (source of mercury)

Clevelandite (hangs around with tourmaline)

Copper (for your penny)

Flint (good thing cupid did not have this on his arrows)

Fluorite (in your toothpaste?)

Fulgurite (created by lightening)

Gold (what else do you need to know?)

Halite (table salt right out of the ground)

Heliotrope (bloodstone)

Itacolumbite (the world's only bending rock)

Kimberlite (where diamonds come from)

Kyanite (the original gay blade)

Larimar (the Caribbean's own gemstone)

Lepidolite (its...purple)

Llanite (the rarist rock on the earth)

Magnetite (the original compass)

Malachite (can copper turn green?)

Meteorites (Chicken Little was right...the sky is falling)

Muscovite (the original window pane)

Pitchblende (natural radioactive stone)

Pumice (the only stone that floats)

Pyrite (fools gold and more!)

Quartz...a study of inclusions

Realgar (beware...arsenic on this page!)

Rhodochrosite (like you never saw it before)

Ruby Rock (unlike anything you have every seen)

Seraphinite (on the wings of angels)

SnowFlake Obsidian (can it snow in a volcano?)

Sulfur (gunpowder ingredient)

Ulexite...coming sometime..hard to photograph!

Vanadinite (nothing special...just pretty)

Wulfanite (woof....the dog stone)

Zoisite (can a stone be this color?)

To learn more, Visit the Amazing Gem and Mineral Museum to see all of the above specimens and more.

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