Practice Makes Perfect!

Identifying rocks and minerals from the comfort of your own home.

There are over 4,000 Minerals Known to Man!

Basic Ways We Identify Minerals-

1. Color- What color does it appear to be?  Some minerals may come in many different colors.
2. Streak- Run the mineral against a porcelain plate, sand paper, or sidewalk.  What color does it leave behind?
3. Luster- Do they look metallic or non-metallic?
4. Specific gravity- Measures how heavy the mineral is relative to the same volume of water.
5. Hardness- Is the mineral able to be scratched?  The Mohs Hardness Scale helps with identification.                                                  
6. Cleavage- How does the mineral break along certain planes?
7. Fracture- What does it mean when a rock breaks without any pattern?
8. Shape- Minerals have varying crystal structures.

Fun Fact!

Birthstones are different minerals!  So what “Birth-mineral” do you associate with your birthday?

How Do You Think Mexico’s Cave of the Crystals Formed?

Giant Crystal Cave is a cave connected to the Naica Mine 300 meters below the surface in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever found.  How do you think they formed?

Use this text to learn more about mineral formation.

They Crave That Mineral

This became so popular on Tumblr that people started making their own memes.  Comment on the post to send ones you find funny.

Minerals are Everywhere!

A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid, with a definite chemical composition, and an ordered atomic arrangement…

Weekly Topics 2

This week we are going to focus on:

• Minerals
• Mineral Identification
• Mineral Formation