©   Minerals                          

  TOPAZ

 


  Minerals are found all over the earth and through out the universe there are many different minerals found in many different environments and places.  The study of minerals is a branch of science called mineralogy.  The definition of a mineral is “a natural substance made from the basic elements by geological processes with a specific crystal form and structure. 


   There are nine classes of minerals found on earth. They are the halides, sulfates, silicates, carbonates, sulfides, oxides, element, phosphates, and organics. Fourteen basic crystal structures are known and taken together your particular mineral you own can be classified by the chemical nature and crystal structure of that mineral. Rocks from the earth are different in that they can be composed of many elements or minerals depending on the environment they were formed in. In sedimentary rocks the carbonates, halides usually form. In igneous rocks many silicates are formed.

RUBY
    All minerals can be identified by there physical properties they are crystal structure and habitat, specific gravityor the densityof a particular mineral, the streak or the actual color of a mineral, the color of a mineral as it looks in natural light, the hardness on a scale from 1 to 10 with talc being a 1 and a diamond a 10, luster being metallic, submetalic, non metallic and further classified as vitreous, adamantine, dull, silky, resinous, or pearly, fracture which is further classified into chonchoidal, fibrous, irregular, hackly, cleavage  how a mineral splits apart, radioactive, and fluorescence , magnetism .


     A mineral identification kit can be put together with very little cost or one may be bought. A good book on mineralogy is a must for those who are interested in studying about minerals. A mineral collection is fun to have and you can collect minerals from the source area or buy them online for a small price to add to your mineral collection. Some of the equipment you will need is a small magnifying glass some times called a loupe. Some bags that you can write on, a geologist hammer a compass and or a gps for locating your mineral source.  A permanent marking pen and a pencil, a carrying bag for to transport your minerals, and a note pad for notes, some maps of the area you are collecting  minerals in


      Some times items such as meteoritesmay be found or precious gems or even gold andsilver. You never know what you may come across while looking for minerals. Some good places to look for minerals are the hills or mountain that have  been cut to build a highway. Around old volcanoes lots of different types of minerals can be found and in old lake or ocean sediments and the like. In Utah topaz and garnets are found with lots of other minerals.





HALITE(SALT)
   SALT FLATS

 Some of the minerals we use ever day are halite or common table salt. Lead which comes from galena, glass is made from the silicate quartz. Gold silver and copper are natural elements used in dentistry and industry, coal which is a hydrocarbon and used to help power our nation, lime from limestone

 

            &nbs p; 

 

 

     

 

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