Diamonds Do Not Form From Coal That is one of the biggest misconceptions in science.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline - the most colorful mineral and natural gem material on Earth.
Copper is a metal used in coins, electronics, pipes, wiring, motors, alloys and many other products.
Topaz is a mineral best known as a durable gemstone and its use in Mohs Hardness Scale.
Uses of Gold
Gold has unique properties that make it one of the most useful minerals.
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone.
Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the crust. It has many useful properties.
Grape Agate
Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes.
Tumbled Stones
Tumbled Stones are rocks that have been rounded, smoothed and polished in a rock tumbler.
What Is Benitoite? A rare mineral and the State Gem of California - USGS report from 1911.
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.
Diopside - Gem material, ornamental stone, diamond indicator, industrial mineral.
Garnet is best known as a red gemstone. It occurs in any color and has many industrial uses.
Diamond: The Mineral
Diamond is a mineral with unique properties and many gem and industrial uses!
What Are Minerals?
Minerals are the building blocks of our society. We use items made with them every day.
Hemimorphite
Hemimorphite is an ore of zinc that can often be cut into gems with spectacular blue color.
Calcite is a carbonate mineral with industrial, agricultural, medical and many other uses.
Sugilite is a rare mineral and a gemstone best known for its vibrant pink to purple color.
Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent Minerals glow with spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.
Mineral Hardness
Mohs Hardness Scale is a set of reference minerals used for classroom hardness testing.
Smithsonite
Smithsonite is a zinc carbonate mineral, an ore of zinc, and a minor gemstone.
Vanadinite
Vanadinite is an important ore of vanadium and a minor source of lead.
Kyanite is a metamorphic mineral used to make porcelain, abrasive products and gems.
Charoite is a purple silicate mineral, found only in Russia, used as a gem material.
Olivine - Abundant in Earth*s mantle. A constituent of meteorites. The gem peridot.
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite - The most important ore of copper for over five thousand years.
Azurite - Used as an ore of copper, a pigment, ornamental stone and gem material.
Corundum is the third hardest mineral. It is also the mineral of ruby and sapphire.
Lepidolite
Lepidolite is a pink to purple mica used as an ore of lithium and as a gem material.
Variscite is a yellowish green to bluish green mineral. It is similar to turquoise and cut as a gem.
Herkimer Diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds Doubly-terminated quartz crystals used as specimens and gems.
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.
Cinnabar - the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.
Is Water a Mineral?
Are Water and Ice Minerals? Comparing their properties with the definition of a mineral.
Streak Test
The Streak Test is a method to determine the color of a mineral in powdered form.
Ilmenite - The primary ore of titanium and source of most titanium dioxide.
Hematite - the most important source of iron ore and mineral pigment since prehistory.
Snowflakes
How Do Snowflakes Form? They start as tiny crystals. Some grow on the way down.
Mineral Luster
What Is Luster? Luster is the light-reflecting characteristics of a mineral specimen.
Gifts That Rock
Gifts That Rock - What are the most popular gift items in the Geology.com store?
Gold Panning Kits
Gold Pans and Panning Kits - classifiers, snuffer bottles. Learn how to pan for gold!
Mineraloids
Mineraloids are amorphous naturally-occurring inorganic solids that lack crystallinity.
U.S. Gemstones
United States Gemstones Small mines in the U.S. produce a diversity of gemstones.
Spodumene is a pegmatite mineral, an ore of lithium and sometimes a gemstone.
Rutile - an ore of titanium; a source of titanium oxide; causes stars and eyes in gems.
Magnesite is a carbonate mineral used for chemicals, fire bricks, magnesium metal and more.
Andalusite
Andalusite is a metamorphic mineral and a strongly pleochroic gem material.
Zircon is the primary ore of zirconium and a gemstone that is available in many colors.
The Acid Test
The Acid Test Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.
Molybdenite
Molybdenite is the primary ore of molybdenum which is used in superalloys and as a lubricant.
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earth Elements are used in cell phones, DVDs, batteries, magnets & many other products.
Rock-Forming Minerals
Rock-Forming Minerals - most of Earth*s crust is made-up of a small number of minerals.
Rock and Mineral Kits
Rock and Mineral Kits The most effective way to learn about rocks and minerals.
Geology Dictionary
Geology Dictionary - contains thousands of geological terms with their definitions.
Mineral Rights
Mineral Rights - Who owns the minerals under your land? Who wants to buy them?
Colored Glass
Minerals in Colored Glass - Minerals are what produce the color in colored glass.
Uses of Silver
Uses of Silver Most people think of jewelry and coins, but silver\'s primary use is industrial.
Hand Lens A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.
Hardness Picks
Hardness Picks - Test for hardness with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.
Tucson Mineral Show
Tucson Gem & Mineral Show Photos from the largest gem and mineral show.
Don*t Go To Jail
Mineral collectors must know the rules for removing specimens from public and private property.
Dangerous Mines
Abandoned Mine Accidents kill several people every year. Education can prevent deaths.
Fireworks & Minerals
The Science of Fireworks Learn how the colors and shapes are created.
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.
Geology Tools
Geology Tools - Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.
Rock Tumbling
Rock Tumblers - All about rock tumblers and rock tumbling. Read before you buy a tumbler.
Triboluminescence
Triboluminescence is flash produced when a mineral is rubbed, scratched or broken.
Uses of Talc
Talc is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.
Olivine Rain
Olivine Rain Spitzer Telescope discovered a rain of olivine crystals on protostar HOPS-68.
Limonite - an amorphous iron oxide. An ore of iron and a pigment since prehistory.
Denver Mineral Show
Denver Gem and Mineral Show - Photos and comments about this incredible show.
Pyroxene Minerals
Pyroxenes are a group of chain silicate minerals found in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
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