Minerals AIMS Science Kit

A Feldspar

Luster – dull

Hardness – hard 6.0

Streak – white

Light – opaque

Feldspar, is the most common mineral in the earth’s crust. You can find feldspar almost anywhere in the world. You can find pieces of it in the sand at the beach. It is found in all kinds of rocks. Some igneous rocks are made almost entirely of feldspar.

Moonstones are beautiful and rare gems made from white feldspar. It can also be pink, green, or red. Feldspar can be ground into clay to make potter and dishes.

It is also a mineral found in Kaopectate which is a medicine.

B Quartz

Luster – glassy and shiny

Hardness – hard 7.0

Streak – white

Light – transparentto translucent

Quartz, can be one of the prettiest and most colorful of all minerals. Some types of quartz are made up of tiny crystals. It can be clear, purple, brown, or yellow. It is always six-sided or hexagonal.

Quartz is valued for its beauty. It can be used for jewelry. The crystals can often be found in geodes.

Quartz crystals are used today in watches, clocks, radios, computers, microwave ovens, and even VCR’s.

C Galena

Luster – metallic to dull

Hardness – soft 2.5

Streak – lead gray

Light – opaque

Galena, is shiny and very soft. It can be scratched with your fingernail or melted into shapes. If it breaks, it separates into small cubes.

Galena contains lead, which is a common metal. Hundreds of years ago people believed it could keep away evil spirits. We use it today to keep out harmful radiation.

It is used in batteries and was once added to gasoline and paint. Since it is poisonous and harmful it is not used in house paints or gasoline anymore.

D Calcite

Luster – glassy

Hardness – medium 3.0

Streak – white or gray

Light – transparent to translucent

Calcite, is one of the most important minerals found in rocks formed under water. It can also be found in clam shells. Inside caves stalactites and stalagmites contain a lot of calcite.

One kind of calcite is call Iceland spar. It is used in some kinds of prisms and microscopes because it can create a double image.

It is usually white, but sometimes it is so clear you can see through it.

E Flourite

F GraphiteGraphite, is the lead in your pencil. People began writing with sticks of graphite about 400 years ago, but wooden pencils were not invented until 1700 in France. It is better than ink because it is so soft erasing it is easy.

Graphite can withstand high temperatures so it is very useful for conducting electricity. For these reasons, it used to make electrodes that carry electricity from one place to another.

Luster – metallic to dull

Hardness – soft 1.0 – 2.0

Streak – black gray to brownish gray

Light - opaque

GHematite

Luster – dull

Hardness – hard 5.0 -6.0

Streak – brown to gray

Light – opaque

Hematite, is found all over the world. Some forms of hematite look like a black, bumpy rock. Anther kind is red-brown and was used to make dark-red paint by Native Americans. They covered the walls of caves with paintings of horses, buffaloes, and other animals.

It is one of the minerals from which we get iron. Iron is one of the strongest material in the world and is the main ingredient of steel.

H Gypsum

Luster – pearly

Hardness – soft 2.0

Streak – white

Light - translucent

Gypsum, looks dull and earthy. It is usually found in small pieces. These pieces are ground up to make plaster of Paris. Plaster of Paris is used to make casts for broken bones. It can also be used to make statues. This special kind of gypsum is called alabaster and is pink or white.

Today gypsum is used to construct wall in homes and buildings. The material known as ‘drywall’ is really ‘gypsum board.’

I Magnetite

Luster – metallic to dull

Hardness – hard 5.5 – 6.5

Streak – black or gray

Light – opaque

Magnetite, as its name suggests, is magnetic which is why this mineral can attract metal. Lodestone is the highly magnetized form of magnetite that makes a compass work.

No one knows who discovered it but, some believe it was some Shepard in Asia who noticed that the iron nails in their sandals sometimes clung to the ground as they walked across a field with rocks that contained magnetite.

For centuries people believed that the mineral had secret powers. They even thought it could cure illness.

J Muscovite

Luster – glassy and shiny

Hardness – soft 2.0 – 2.25

Streak – white

Light – transparentto translucent

Muscovite, is a shiny, silvery-white mineral that has many thin sheets, like pages in a book. Before glass was easily available, many people in Russia used pieces of muscovite to make windows. The name “Moscow,” the capital of Russia, comes from the Russian word for “glass.” Did you know that people from Moscow are called “Muscovites”?

K Sulfur

L Talc

Minerals Other Important Minerals

***** Diamond

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