Rocks & Minerals

Crack open a Lake Superior agate and you'll discover history. These agates formed during volcanic eruptions more than a billion years ago. Glaciers then spread the rocks across the states of...

Feldspar is one of the most common mineral groups in geology and comprises more than half of the content of the Earth's crust. Moonstone is gem-quality stone derived from feldspar, obtaining its...

Sodium silicate, also known as waterglass, is a metal oxide of silica (Na2O • XSiO2) that is used in many industrial and consumer products, including adhesives, cements, detergents as well...

Though Badlands National Park in South Dakota is known around the world, badlands is also a general term referring to a type of geography, rather than to a specific place. For example, the United...

Rocks are one of the most amazing historical representations of our planet. Some rocks are valuable, such as lapis lazuli, amber and jet. But it is actually pieces of mineral that become...

Crystals are formed naturally by intricate processes within the Earth over millions of years. In fact, almost all minerals occur as crystals naturally, from a grain of salt to an impressive quartz...

Aventurine is a type of quartz, which is the planet's most common kind of mineral. Aventurine can be opaque or translucent and comes in various colors.

Stones, minerals and crystals have long been used in metaphysical divining. The quartz crystal has special significance, and it's used in many rituals. Quartz is also thought to be a strong...

Growing crystals on charcoal is the perfect way to keep children entertained for weeks. They love watching the progress from when the crystals begin to grow to when they are fully formed many...

Sodium magnesium silicate, a substance known as a type of talc, is used for many consumer and industrial applications as a bulking agent in liquid products.

Fossils are a record of Earth's history imprinted within rocks. Fossils form when a creature dies and its remains are then buried or preserved by environmental conditions. Over time, the creature...

Magnesium carbonate is an odorless white powder with several industrial uses. It occurs in nature or as a manufactured substance.

Diamonds, a special form of carbon created in an environment of extreme pressure and temperature, are some of the oldest minerals on Earth, but it has been in just the last century that humans...

Rock crystals are the second most abundant mineral in the earth's crust. Made of silicon and oxygen, the mineral is commonly known as quartz around the world. There are a variety of different...

Growing crystals out of maple syrup is a perfect experiment to entertain children. It is simple and safe enough that they can do most of the hands-on work, and the end result will generate hours...

Minerals can be useful and beautiful. They are used to make metals and other substances, but they can also be cut and polished as crystals to make gems such as diamonds. Minerals typically appear...

Magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) is a white solid, readily found in nature as magnesite and which usually occurs in a hydrated form, clustered with water molecules. It has some industrial uses, such as...

To find fossils you need to know where to look.The best places to find fossils are in canyons and washes.These types of geological formations serve as natural collection bins. Erosion washes the...

The warm tropical climate of the Hawaiian Islands, combined with the volcanic activity and resulting outpouring of new lava, have made the types of soils found there as varied as the islands...

In order to use coal, a sedimentary rock often burned to generate electricity, it must first be extracted from the ground. This is accomplished by two methods: surface mining and underground...

Sodium carbonate decahydrate is a hydrated form of soda ash, a common raw material used in numerous industrial processes. Also called washing soda, the compound has a long history of use, from...

These are instructions for mapping the geology of a local neighborhood. It's possible to get geological maps of most of the world now, but depending on the location, the resolution may not be...

Plain water freezes at 32 degrees F, but a mixture of water and rock salt must be much colder to freeze. This means that adding rock salt to ice water will also cause the ice to melt more slowly...

Consisting of a variety of elements, perlite is volcanic rock that is used in a diversity of industries. It is similar to, but distinct from, obsidian.

All gems are crystals, but not all crystals are gems. It takes a special type of stone to become a valuable gem.

Second in hardness only to diamonds, the ruby is at the top of the gemstone pyramid. Its deep red color invokes love, passion and zest for life. In jewelry, its beauty is unsurpassed, but rubies...

Tourmaline is often mistaken for other types of gemstones, but it is distinguished by certain intriguing electrical properties. Tourmaline can display a wide range or colors, which it acquired,...

Gold ore is a concentration of gold in rock, particles or flakes in water. Gold ore is only technically considered to be ore if it is feasible to mine it for extraction of the precious metal content.

Black tourmaline is also known as schorl. This gemstone mineral is a member of the tourmaline family of crystals, which includes pink, watermelon, blue, red and green. Black tourmaline has a long...

Citrine is a variety of quartz. It is yellow, orange or brown in color, and it is commonly used in jewelry. It is rare but composed of the earth's most abundant mineral.

Zeolite-Y is a man-made crystalline mineral that is most often found in industry; used for filtering, processing and absorbing chemicals in industrial manufacturing processes.

Do you go dredging time and time again but never find any gold,well look no further because im gonna tell you just how to find as much gold as you can wherever your at.

Although having iron in your water is not harmful to the body unless it builds up over a long time, it can have an effect on the taste and smell. In large enough amounts, it can discourage people...

The Dead Sea has the highest salt content of any of the world's seas. The Encyclopedia Britannica indicates that the name can be traced back to the Hellenistic period (323 to 30 B.C.).

Fluorite crystals are semitransparent minerals composed of calcium fluoride. They are often used in healing practices to aid those with broken bones, teeth problems and osteoporosis. It is...

Rocks and minerals exist in a number of forms. One of the more interesting and visually stunning varieties are fluorescent rocks. These rocks glow various colors under a black light. They are...

Gemologists are able to identify gems such as diamonds, rubies and sapphires to find out if a stone is genuine or synthetic. Identifying gems involves observing and testing them for their...

Calcium is a silvery, gray metal found in rocks, bones, leaves and shells. Humans have been using calcium, in the form of limestone and gypsum, for thousands of years. Calcium carbonate is a...

Trommels of all sizes perform a variety of activities through a process of sifting. Whether your company needs an industrial size device, or you desire to add new mulch to your garden, you may...

Crystals and gemstones have been used for centuries in alternative healing techniques. While they are said to work through vibration and resonance to affect specific aspects of life or health,...

Most individuals think that salt water is more dense than fresh water, and they are correct. However, this could lead to the assumption that rocks can easily float in salt water. That isn't...

Jadeite is one of two minerals that can be called jade (the other one is Nephrite). It is harder than steel and cannot be carved like materials used for sculpture. It is shaped by grinding and...

Chalcedony is a mineral formed with one silicone molecule and two oxygen molecules, giving it the name silicon dioxide. A number of stones fall under the category of chalcedony.

Labradorite is a variety of the mineral feldspar. Although the color of the stone is silver gray, the stone displays an array of colors according to the angle of light refraction.

Slate is the finest grained of the metamorphic rocks. Characteristics such as strength, color, density and absorbency vary by geographic location because of varying geologic forces, like heat and...

There are many different types of rocks, minerals and stones out there. Each falls into a particular category and is used for certain purposes. One of the more popularly used rocks out there,...

In many cold regions, people apply salt to icy roads and surfaces in an attempt to rapidly melt and clear the slippery ice. This works, up to a point, because the salt dissolves into the liquid...

The search for diamonds can be an addictive pastime. Some rock hounds prefer to visit known diamond sites such as the Treasure Mountain Diamond Mine in New York. Others like to explore the...

Fingering a strand of worry beads may help with prayer or stress relief. Amber, fossilized resin from ancient trees, is a popular choice for prayer beads because of its warm brown and red tones,...

Slate is a metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks are rocks that change form from one type of rock into another because of time, pressure, heat and other factors. Diamonds are the most famous of...