Mini Me Geology Blog » Mini Me Geology

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.

New Igneous Rocks – Volcanic Ash and Graphic Granite

tracyb — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:00:28 +0000

We have two new igneous samples for you – graphic granite and volcanic ash. Check them out today. Both of these samples make great additions to your collection!

Graphic granite is a form of granite that consists of parallel, rod-shaped quartz crystals in a matrix of feldspar. The quartz grains have an appearance of written script characters when a sample is cut perpendicular to the quartz grains, which gave the rock its name. Get your sample today!

Volcanic is composed of clay to sand-sized particles of rock and volcanic glass. This material is expelled from a volcano during a violent eruption. Steam buildup in a volcano causes violent eruptions that shred the surrounding rock into small, ash particles. Get your sample today!

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!

Do you know Sandstone?

tracyb — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:46:22 +0000

Sandstone forms from beach sand-sized quartz grains that are glued together with quartz or calcite or compressed until they harden into a rock. Sandstone has a medium-grained texture and is often associated with water and oil storage because it has open spaces between the quartz grains.

Visit Mini Me Geology where you can find sandstone as an individual sample as well as a part of our My Rockin Collection Deluxe Sedimentary Rock Kit, our Junior Sedimentary Rock kit, and in our Sedimentary Sleuthing 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.

Happy New Year!

tracyb — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:44:05 +0000

Happy New Year and a big Thank You to everyone who helped make 2010 a great year here at Mini Me Geology. We hope you and your friends and family have a fantastic new year. We look forward to serving you in 2011 with a whole slew of new rocks, minerals, and kits. We are even adding some awesome fossils this year!

Have a Safe and Happy Weekend!

Twitter Tuesdays and Facebook Fridays Start This Week!

tracyb — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:13:25 +0000

We are thrilled to announce two new promotions for this holiday season involving both twitter and facebook – Twitter Tuesdays and Facebook Fridays!

Each Tuesday on Twitter and each Friday on Facebook we will announce a great deal on one of our most popular items that is good for that day only! We will only announce these deals on Twitter and Facebook so join our networks today so that you don’t miss out.

Join us on:

Please Help Us Stay on Amazon!

tracyb — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:57:41 +0000

We just set up our Amazon store only to find that we have until the end of October to make a specific number of sales or they will kick us out until January! AHH!

Therefore, from now until the end of the month ALL AMAZON PRODUCTS ARE 25% OFF! Plus, each order placed through amazon will receive a FREE Herkimer Diamond Quartz!

Shop Amazon Now!

October Birthstone – Opal

tracyb — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:26:28 +0000

Opal is a unique mineral because it forms as a gel in cracks of many different types of rocks. However, opal is most often found in rocks like basalt, rhyolite, sandstone and limonite. High water content is a trademark of the opal. Read more….

Gemstone Jewelry has Arrived!

tracyb — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:43:25 +0000

We seem to have a lot of new items lately, which is good! We just added gemstone jewelry to our site. Choose from beads or chips, bracelets or necklaces. We have a great selection of malachite, quartz, amethyst, hematite, snowflake obsidian, jasper, sodalite and much more! Check them out today.

Psst, we LOVE the three strand bracelets, so guys, if you are looking for a unique gift, shop now.