Rocks & Minerals

Paraiba tourmaline was discovered in 1989 by H. Dimas Barbosa in a hill outside of Paraiba, Brazil. It took five years for this prospector to find something of value, and his tenacity led to...

Verdigris is the green coating of copper salts that forms on copper that is exposed to moisture over long periods of time. There are many different salts of copper. The gray-green patina on the...

A well is a hole that has been dug, drilled or bored into the earth deeply enough to reach the groundwater that can be found in the underlying aquifers. Rain water and snow seep through the ground...

Azurite is a popular mineral whose name comes from its striking blue color. It is a copper-based mineral that is formed from weathering copper deposits. Azurite is also known as Chessylite, as...

A mineral is a non-living substance that occurs in nature. It has a certain quality and consistent chemical structure as well as a distinct natural composition. Usually, a specific crystalline...

Metal alloys are metals made of two or more different elements. There can be several types of alloys including ferrous alloys like carbon steels and stainless steels, and nonferrous alloys like...

The metallic element molybdenum plays key roles in several metabolic processes. Found primarily in copper mines in the United States, molybdenum also has industrial uses. Steel, cast iron, chrome...

The assistance that France provided to the rebelling colonists during the Revolutionary War was instrumental in the eventual success of the colonies. Their earlier partnership inspired France and...

Electroplating uses electrical current to induce plating, a process in which a thin layer of a particular metal coats an object. Through electrodeposition, ions of the metal anode (in this case,...

A solar panel may appear to be too complicated to build for a garage or kitchen, but a crude solar panel can be made from a handful of ordinary tools, scrap parts, some copper sheeting, a leftover...

Some metals can form crystals, such as gold, silver and copper, which means that they create regular patterns in their makeup. Discover the relationship between metals and crystals with...

Sources of copper ore have varied over the centuries. The mineral chalcopyrite provides about half of the world's copper ore. In general, sulfide minerals provide copper--bornite, covelite and...

Copper is a naturally occurring element--a metal. As an element, it can't be broken down chemically into other parts; therefore it doesn't have a formula. Copper's physical characteristics include...

Although its origins remain unclear, metalworking has a long history tightly wound to the rise of mankind. From simply manipulating metals by hand to the creation of the bronze alloy, metalworking...

Pewter is a metal alloy that was formerly used extensively in colonial America. Pewter is a mixture of other metals that is easily molded. It is used today primarily for decorative purposes, with...

Mined world-wide, zinc is an ingredient that is used in manufacturing, cosmetics and as an alloy to form both bronze and brass. Zinc is an element that has been known for thousands of years (there...

The human body needs copper to function properly. The body can only absorb, but not produce this trace mineral. All of the copper the body needs to maintain health must be consumed. The body's...