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What Are Minerals?

Minerals are materials that meet five requirements. They are: 1) naturally occurring, 2) inorganic, 3) solids, 4) with a definite chemical composition, and, 5) an ordered internal structure.

Mineral Menu
Andalusite Anhydrite Apatite Arsenopyrite Augite Azurite Barite Bauxite Benitoite Beryl Biotite Bornite Calcite Cassiterite Chalcopyrite Charoite Chlorite Chromite Chrysoberyl Cinnabar Clinozoisite Copper Cordierite Corundum Diamond Diopside Dolomite Epidote Euclase Feldspar Fluorite Fuchsite Galena Garnet Gaspeite Gold Graphite Gypsum Halite Hematite Hornblende Ilmenite Jadeite	Kyanite Lepidolite Limonite Magnesite Magnetite Malachite Marcasite Molybdenite Monazite Muscovite Nephrite Olivine Orpiment Orthoclase Phlogopite Plagioclase Pyrite Pyroxene Quartz Realgar Rhodochrosite Rhodonite Rutile Scapolite Serpentine Silver Sodalite Sphalerite Spinel Spodumene Staurolite Sugilite Sulfur Talc Titanite Topaz Tourmaline Turquoise Uraninite Vanadinite Variscite Zircon Zoisite

Rock and Mineral Kits

Rock and Mineral Kits The most effective way to learn about rocks and minerals.

Calcite

Calcite is a carbonate mineral with industrial, agricultural, medical and many other uses.

Sugilite

Sugilite is a rare mineral and a gemstone best known for its vibrant pink to purple color.

Charoite

Charoite is a purple silicate mineral, found only in Russia, used as a gem material.

Pyroxene Minerals

Pyroxenes are a group of chain silicate minerals found in igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Fool*s Gold

Fool*s Gold is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.

Topaz

Topaz is a mineral best known as a durable gemstone and its use in Mohs Hardness Scale.

Hardness Picks

Hardness Picks - Test for hardness with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.

Diamond: The Mineral

Diamond is a mineral with unique properties and many gem and industrial uses!

Diopside

Diopside - Gem material, ornamental stone, diamond indicator, industrial mineral.

Gold Panning Kits

Gold Pans and Panning Kits - classifiers, snuffer bottles. Learn how to pan for gold!

Corundum

Corundum is the third hardest mineral. It is also the mineral of ruby and sapphire.

Geology Tools

Geology Tools - Hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.

Hand Lens

Hand Lens A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.

Fluorescent Minerals

Fluorescent Minerals glow with spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.

Benitoite

Benitoite - discovery of the State Gem of California - USGS report from 1911.

Garnet

Garnet is best known as a red gemstone. It occurs in any color and has many industrial uses.

Vanadinite

Vanadinite is an important ore of vanadium and a minor source of lead.

Quartz

Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the crust. It has many useful properties.

Rhodochrosite

Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone.

Mineral Hardness

Mohs Hardness Scale is a set of reference minerals used for classroom hardness testing.

Don*t Go To Jail

Mineral collectors must know the rules for removing specimens from public and private property.

Hematite

Hematite - the most important source of iron ore and mineral pigment since prehistory.

Cinnabar

Cinnabar - the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.

Variscite

Variscite is a yellowish green to bluish green mineral. It is similar to turquoise and cut as a gem.

Diamonds from Coal?

Diamonds Do Not Form From Coal That is one of the biggest misconceptions in science.

Magnesite

Magnesite is a carbonate mineral used for chemicals, fire bricks, magnesium metal and more.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline - the most colorful mineral and natural gem material on Earth.

Olivine

Olivine - Abundant in Earth*s mantle. A constituent of meteorites. The gem peridot.

Ilmenite

Ilmenite - The primary ore of titanium and source of most titanium dioxide.

Azurite

Azurite - Used as an ore of copper, a pigment, ornamental stone and gem material.

Herkimer Diamonds

Herkimer Diamonds Doubly-terminated quartz crystals used as specimens and gems.

Rutile

Rutile - an ore of titanium; a source of titanium oxide; causes stars and eyes in gems.

Lepidolite

Lepidolite is a pink to purple mica used as an ore of lithium and as a gem material.

Chalcopyrite

Chalcopyrite - The most important ore of copper for over five thousand years.

U.S. Gemstones

United States Gemstones Small mines in the U.S. produce a diversity of gemstones.

Zircon

Zircon is the primary ore of zirconium and a gemstone that is available in many colors.

Spodumene

Spodumene is a pegmatite mineral, an ore of lithium and sometimes a gemstone.

Rhodonite

Rhodonite - a manganese silicate used as a minor ore of manganese and as a gemstone.

Serpentine

Serpentine - metamorphic rocks used in construction, architecture and lapidary work.

Kyanite

Kyanite is a metamorphic mineral used to make porcelain, abrasive products and gems.

Mineraloids

Mineraloids are amorphous naturally-occurring inorganic solids that lack crystallinity.

Molybdenite

Molybdenite is the primary ore of molybdenum which is used in superalloys and as a lubricant.

Geology Dictionary

Geology Dictionary - contains thousands of geological terms with their definitions.

What Are Minerals?

Minerals are the building blocks of our society. We use items made with them every day.

Tucson Mineral Show

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show Photos from the largest gem and mineral show.

Rock Tumbling

Rock Tumblers - All about rock tumblers and rock tumbling. Read before you buy a tumbler.

Rare Earth Elements

Rare Earth Elements are used in cell phones, DVDs, batteries, magnets & many other products.

The Acid Test

The Acid Test Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.

Uses of Silver

Uses of Silver Most people think of jewelry and coins, but silver\'s primary use is industrial.

Olivine Rain

Olivine Rain Spitzer Telescope discovered a rain of olivine crystals on protostar HOPS-68.

Uses of Gold

Gold has unique properties that make it one of the most useful minerals.

Is Water a Mineral?

Are Water and Ice Minerals? Comparing their properties with the definition of a mineral.

Tumbled Stones

Tumbled Stones are rocks that have been rounded, smoothed and polished in a rock tumbler.

Rock-Forming Minerals

Rock-Forming Minerals - most of Earth*s crust is made-up of a small number of minerals.

Uses of Talc

Talc is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.

Crystal Habit

Crystal Habit is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.

Streak Test

The Streak Test is a method to determine the color of a mineral in powdered form.

Colored Glass

Minerals in Colored Glass - Minerals are what produce the color in colored glass.

Mineral Rights

Mineral Rights - Who owns the minerals under your land? Who wants to buy them?

Gifts That Rock

Gifts That Rock - What are the most popular gift items in the Geology.com store?

Denver Mineral Show

Denver Gem and Mineral Show - Photos and comments about this incredible show.

Snowflakes

How Do Snowflakes Form? They start as tiny crystals. Some grow on the way down.

Limonite

Limonite - an amorphous iron oxide. An ore of iron and a pigment since prehistory.

Fireworks & Minerals

The Science of Fireworks Learn how the colors and shapes are created.

Dangerous Mines

Abandoned Mine Accidents kill several people every year. Education can prevent deaths.

Triboluminescence

Triboluminescence is flash produced when a mineral is rubbed, scratched or broken.

What Are Minerals?

Minerals are materials that meet five requirements. They are: 1) naturally occurring, 2) inorganic, 3) solids, 4) with a definite chemical composition, and, 5) an ordered internal structure.

Mineral Menu