Mini Me Geology Blog » mineral

Rock Salt or Halite – It’s one Great Mineral

tracyb — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 22:52:16 +0000

Salt is a common evaporite mineral that exists around the world and is often called halite or rock salt. The mineral is very soft in relation to other minerals and can form nice crystal shapes.

The crystals can form individually or in crystalline masses. Rock salt forms as a common sedimentary deposit in areas of enclosed salt water.

Teachers and home school parents can use halite samples to teach children about a useful mineral that has easily identifiable physical and chemical properties.

Many home experiments involving salt are easy to perform so that children have fun experimenting and learning simultaneously. Read full article here.

It’s New Rock and Mineral Week! Up first … Dolomite!

tracyb — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:33:56 +0000

We are adding new rocks and minerals to our site every day this week. Up first is Dolomite!
Dolomite is a soft mineral of many colors. The mineral forms in ocean setting and hydrothermal veins
and is also associated with metamorphic rocks.

Check out dolomite at our site here!

Opal is Here!

tracyb — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:56:36 +0000

Opal is a hydrous silicate that forms as a precipitate or a replacement of the skeletons of marine organisms. Many colors and varieties of opals are found worldwide. Opals are useful in the production of jewelry, abrasives, insulators and porcelain. Under ultraviolet light, opals will often fluoresce a yellow or green color. Opals form as veins, crusts and globule, but never as crystals.

Get your sample of Opal today!

Biotite has arrived!

tracyb — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:34:16 +0000

We are excited to offer the mineral biotite on our website now. Biotite is a common mica mineral that is black to brownish-black in color. This soft mineral forms as a “book” with super thin crystal pages. You can use your fingernail to flake apart the individual layers of the book. It is really cool so check it out!

Sulfur has arrived!

tracyb — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:12:02 +0000

Sulfur is a bright yellow to yellowish-brown, soft mineral being only a 1.5 to 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. This mineral has many uses in product manufacturing such as explosives, dyes, sulfuric acids, insecticides. Sulfur will dissolve in warm water, smells of rotten eggs as the mineral warms, and cracks when you expose it to heat.

Visit Mini Me Geology where you can find sulfur as an individual sample as well as a part of our Crystal Experiments Rock Detectives kit.

Do you know Amethyst?

tracyb — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:54:49 +0000

Amethyst is the purple form of the mineral quartz. Fairly hard, amethyst is a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. Amethyst is always purple and has a shiny appearance.

Well formed crystals of the mineral are often found in clusters, called ‘druse,’ and commonly form in geodes. Amethyst is purple because of iron impurities in the crystal.

Visit Mini Me Geology where you can find amethyst as single crystals as well as a part of our My Rockin Collection Deluxe Mineral Kit, our Junior Mineral kit, bracelets and necklaces.

Amethyst Trivia!

Amethyst is the birthstone of February.
Amethyst, a semi-precious stone, is often used in making jewelry and home accents.
Ancient Greeks believed that amethyst could prevent intoxication.
Medieval European soldiers wore amethyst amulets because they believed that the crystals would help heal them and keep them calm in battle.

Diamonds!

tracyb — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:41:42 +0000

It is Mineral Week here at Mini Me Geology so we are starting out with one of my personal favorites. DIAMONDS!

Did you know that pencil lead and diamonds are made of the same thing? It is hard to believe but they are both made of carbon! The carbon forms in different crystal types or shapes, which is why they are different. Diamond is the hardest mineral, being a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. Diamonds are found in igneous rocks called Kimberlites, which are formed deep underground (between 90 and 280 miles below the surface of the Earth). This photo shows cores of kimberlite rock from a drilling event. Rock cores are stored in core boxes for examination.

The largest diamond ever found is over 7,000 carats which is about the size of your two fists put together. Because of their beauty and strength, diamonds are used for a wide variety of products from jewelry to industrial cutting blades. This photo shows a group of different sized diamonds which have been cut and faceted.

Aquamarine: March Birthstone

tracyb — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:25:46 +0000

Aquamarine is a pale blue form of the mineral beryl. Aquamarine crystals can occur in such rocks as granites and pegmatites. These beautiful gemstones have a glassy luster (shine) and are either translucent or transparent. These properties make aquamarine a prized stone for all types of jewelry.

Mineral trivia: What is a well-known green variety of the mineral beryl?

Answer: Emerald.

February Babies, Amethyst is your stone!

tracyb — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:15:58 +0000

February babies are lucky! Amethyst is one of the coolest minerals ever. I love the variations in the purple color and the awesome points that it can form.

Amethyst is actually a purple form of the mineral quartz. Amethyst has a white streak, is fairly hard, and appears glassy. The most common use of amethyst is for jewelry and is it considered a semi-precious stone. Many collectors of amethyst find beautiful specimens in geodes.

Here at Mini Me Geology, you can find beautiful amethyst crystal in both our My Rockin’ Collection Minerals kit and as an individual sample. When your amethyst arrives, you will learn more about its great properties from the mineral information you will receive. Get a crystal for yourself or your amethyst baby today!

The Coolest Stocking Stuffer EVER! Ulexite Mineral

tracyb — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:02:38 +0000

This unique mineral is often called TV Stone or TV Rock because of its fiber optic properties. Place a sample on a picture or text and watch the image transmit from beneath the mineral to the top. Ulexite is composed is white, silky fibers and is very soft.

This mineral is formed in large lake areas through evaporation of the lake water. Ulexite has a hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale which has a range from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest) and will also dissolve in hot water. With a silky luster, white streak and white to light gray color this unique mineral is one of the most fascinating minerals on Earth. Ulexite is a source of boron. The most famous locations of ulexite are Boron, California and in the Mojave Desert of California. Ulexite can also be found in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Italy.