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Rocks & Minerals

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1. All rocks are made of two or more minerals, but minerals are not made of rocks. A mineral is the same all the way through.

2. There are about 3,000 known minerals on the Earth.

3. Quartz is one of the most common minerals found on Earth, and basalt is the most common rock.

4. Diamond is the hardest natural substance on Earth, and a diamond is used to cut another diamond.

5. Marble forms from metamorphosed carbonate rock, most usually limestone.

6. Breccia is a rock composed of generally large, sharp fragments cemented together.

7. The biggest pure-gold nugget was found in Australia in 1869 and weighed 156 pounds.
Gold is extremely soft and one of the most valuable minerals.

8. Geodes are plain balls of igneous or sedimentary rock on the outside, but contain
beautiful crystals on the inside.

9. Feldspar is a term used for a very large group of minerals which are extremely abundant on Earth.
Feldspars make up more than half of the Earth's crust.

10. The first recorded use of turquoise dates back to 5000 BC in Mesopotamia,
where people used the gemstone to make beads, and lapis lazul is treasured for
its rich blue color and is often used in jewelry. The ancient Egyptians used powdered
lapis lazul as eye shadow. Jade is extremely strong which made it a perfect choice for
making things like fish hooks, knives, hammers and axes throughout history.

Acadia National Park: Maine Alaska Science Forum: Rocks & Geology April 2000 Newsletter: AFMS Atlas of Rocks, Minerals and Textures Biostratigraphy and Geochronology Birthstones of the Month Buzzle Cape Cod Rocks City of Rocks Back Country Byway Collecting Rocks Desert Environment, Minerals & Geology Diamond Deception Fossils, Rocks & Time Gemstones GEO Mysteries Geological Dev. Franklin/Sterling Hills Minerals Geology Research Group Granite Generation Processes Great Sand Dunes National Monument Hope Diamond How Rocks and Minerals Are Formed How Rocks Are Formed Hunterian Museum: Rocks and Minerals Igneous Rocks: A Photographic Collection

Kansas Rocks and Minerals Lunar Geology Metamorphic Petrology Mineral Identification
Mineral Town Minerals, Magmas, and Volcanic Rocks Moon Rocks Natural Gemstones North Cascades Geology Rock Cycle Rock Hounds Rocks and Minerals Lab Rocks and Minerals of Kentucky Rocks and Minerals: The Franklin Institute Rocks & Minerals Rocks & Minerals 1 Rocks for Kids Structural Geology of Fault Rocks Unusual Graphite Crystals Vermont Geology Visible Earth: NASA Wonderful World of Minerals Written in the Rocks Yorkshire Dales Field Centre

Fast Facts Resources
How Rocks and Minerals Are Formed

Rocks for Kids

Buzzle

Rocks & Minerals

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