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Fluorite is really interesting! When you find it in a rock, all the little crystals will usually be in the shape of cubes. This is the way that the mineral naturally grows!

Fluorite is a soft rock which can be scratched with a common nail (ask your parents for help with this). Some people even like to carve it into sculptures. Fluorite can be found in many different colours.

But the coolest thing about fluorite is that it is fluorescent! What does this mean? It means that if you have an ultraviolet light/ a black light (the lights that they use in glow in the dark mini-putt that look purple) and you shine it on the rock then it will glow!!! Fluorite from two different places might glow two different colours under the same light.
Used in:

Toothpaste: Fluoride is one of the main elements in fluorite. It helps prevent and sometimes reverse the early stages of tooth decay

Drinking water: Fluoride is also found in drinking water! Don't worry, it's good for your teeth and won't hurt you in small doses

Copper

Have you ever had a ring that turned your finger green? If so, it was probably made out of copper!

Copper is a natural metal. It absorbs heat very easily which is why we sometimes use it to make pots and pans for cooking. We use it in electrical wires too because electricity flows through it really easily.

Copper is one of only two coloured metals (the other is gold). It is usually a reddish brown colour but it turns green when it's exposed to air for a really long time (think of the green colour as a form of rust).
Used in:

Pennies

Electrical wires

Water Pipes

The Statue of Liberty is made of copper, and all the parliament roofs in Ottawa (the green roofs) are made of copper too.

It's strange to think about, but we eat copper sometimes! A little bit of it is actually good for us. It is found in hot chocolate powder, chocolate, sesame seeds, nuts, calamari, lobster and many other foods!
Penny Experiment
If I ask you what a penny is made of, you would probably say copper. This is correct, but it's not the only thing that pennies are made of! Try this:

1. Collect a lot of pennies from different years, and a strong magnet

2. Line up the pennies in a line according to the year they have on them

3. You will probably notice that the really old pennies don't stick to the magnet. This is because the price of copper used to be a lot lower so we used to make our pennies entirely out of copper. Copper isn't magnetic

4. You will also notice that the recently made pennies also don't stick to the magnet. Because copper is now quite expensive, we've started to make our pennies out of zinc with a copper coating. They will feel a lot lighter than the pure copper pennies because zinc weighs less than copper. Zinc is also not magnetic

5. But all the other pennies should stick to the magnet! We used to make pennies out of steel with a copper coating. And steel is magnetic!

Pretty cool eh?

Pyrite

Pyrite is also known as "Fool's Gold". It is a very pretty mineral and usually forms interesting crystals.

The word "Pyrite" comes from the Greek words pyrites lithos, meaning "stone which strikes fire". They discovered that when you hit pyrite with iron it would spark. This is why it was used to start fires!

Pyrite was also polished by Native Americans in early times and used as a mirror!

At the University of Waterloo's Earth Science Museum we have a display dedicated to the different crystals of pyrite.
Used in:

Jewelry (Called Marcasite)

Pyrite sparks when you hit it with steel, so it was used in early rifles

Used in the manufacturing of paper and ink

Gypsum

Gypsum forms deep under water when creatures like clams, oysters, scallops and other shellfish die. Their remains settle to the ocean floor in layers. Over time, hundreds of layers form and push down from on top of the original layer. This causes it to be turned into rock. Some of this rock contains gypsum.

Gypsum is a very soft mineral. It can be scratched with your finger nail!
Used in:

Manufacture of Wallboard

Cement

Plaster

Fertilizer

Used to make medical casts (they put this on you when you break a bone!)

Quartz

Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on the planet. It comes in a lot of different colours such as pink (rose quartz), yellow (citrine), purple (amethyst), white (milky quartz), red (amethyst with hematite), and brown and grey (smoky quartz). When we want quartz today we often make it in a furnace instead of digging it out of the ground.

Quartz is used in watches! A battery powers a microchip, which sends messages to a quartz crystal, causing it to vibrate 32,768 times a second. Every time the quartz vibrates that exact number, it sends a message to a motor which turns the hands on your watch!

Quartz has been found on the moon!
Used in:

Watches

Gemstones

A source of silica for glass

Electrical components

Optical lenses

Sandpaper

Calcite

Calcite is a very common mineral found in most places on earth. Calcite comes in over 300 different shapes, this is more than any other mineral. Pure calcite is colourless or white, but due to impurities it may also be red, yellow, green, honey, pink, lavender, black, brown or blue.

An interesting way of identifying calcite is the acid test. When you place a drop of weak acid, such as vinegar, on calcite it will bubble!
Used in:

Concrete and asphalt

Making medicines, such as antacid tablets (chewable tums)

Fed to chickens

Buildings

Sodalite

Sodalite is a vibrantly blue mineral which was named for its high sodium content (sodium is in table salt!) It has a greasy lustre, which means that if you can get a good look at a clean crystal then it will look like the surface of the mineral is greasy.

Sodalite is a highly fluorescent mineral. This means that if you have an ultraviolet light (a black light/ the light that is used for glow-in-the-dark mini putt) and you shine the light on a piece of sodalite then it will glow!
Use​d in:
Mica

Different forms of mica have different names. For example, white mica is muscovite, while black mica is biotite. No matter what the colour, the properties of this mineral group are similar. It is very flexible, you can bend it in one direction and when you let go it will return to its original shape. It is also very soft and you can scratch the surface of mica with your fingernail. Crystals form with really strong bonds in one direction, and really weak bonds in another direction. Because of this, the crystal can be broken apart in sheets!
Used in:

toasters

Sparkles in cosmetics

Old stove windows

Makes your camera flash

Labradorite

Labradorite was first discovered in 1770. It was named after Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, but it is also found in other areas of the world. Labradorite is a type of feldspar (the most abundant mineral family) with stunning colours and visual effects. Its colours can range between violet, blue, green, yellow and even orange-red. These colours are only viewed when rotated at an angle and appears through the entire surface of the stone.
Used in:
Magnetite

Magnetite is a magnetic rock. In fact, it is the most magnetic mineral on earth. Naturally magnetized pieces of magnetite are called lodestone. It is black and shiny.

There's a piece of magnetite in the Peter Russell Rock Garden. Bring a magnet with you the next time you visit and try to figure out which rock it is! Magnetite image source
Used in:

Early compasses

An ore or iron

Pigment in paints

In fertillizers

Want to find your own magnetite? It's simple! All you need to do is run a magnet through sand. You should find that little tiny grains of black sand sticks to the magnet, while all other sand doesn't. What you're collecting is tiny grains of magnetite! Don't forget to put it into a plastic bag so that you don't lose it!

Magnetite fillings image source.

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Minerals for Kids | Earth Sciences Museum

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Click on a Mineral name to learn more about it! Fluorite Gypsum Sodalite Magnetite Copper Quartz Mica Pyrite Calcite Labradorite Fluorite is really interesting!

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Let's see what other students are learning in this class.

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Links
Layers of the Earth
Rocks in our World
Rock Cycle
Three Classes of Rocks

Links

Rocks, Minerals & Soils (game)
Rock Hounds

Layers of the Earth

Rocks in our World

The study of rocks and minerals introduces students to the science of geology. By examining different types of rocks and minerals found in the earth's crust, students will learn that the unique characteristics and properties of rocks and minerals are a result of how they were formed. Such properties determine possible uses. It is important that students become aware of how human uses of rocks and minerals not only alter the landscape but also affect the environment in various other ways.

Types of Rocks

Characteristics

Characteristic Relation to Place of Origin

Sedimentary

Flat layers

Composed of pieces that are roughly the same size with pores between these pieces, usually filled with smaller grains

Sometimes contain fossils

Has layers because they are located under or near water and sand forms in layers and becomes rock over time and with pressure

Igneous

Generally have no layers

Have variable textures

Do not contain fossils

No Layers because it cools quickly

Has a variety of textures depending on how quickly it cools

Fossils don't form in them because the animals and plants are burnt up by the lava

Metamorphic

May have alternating bands of light and dark mineral

May be composed predominantly of only one mineral, such as marble or quartzite

Rarely contains fossils

Have a combination of minerals and rocks together because they are either changing from Igneous to Sedimentary or from Sedimentary to Igneous rocks.

They don't have fossils because those fossils changed during the morphing stages.

Rock Cycle

Three Classes of Rocks

By the end of this unit, students should be able to describe the characteristics of the three classes of rocks and explain how their characteristics are related to their origin.

Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic rocks may have alternating bands of light and dark minerals, or may be mostly made of only one mineral, such as marble or quartzite, and rarely contain fossils.

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rocks often have flat layers, are composed of pieces that are roughly the same size with pores between these pieces that are commonly filled with smaller grains, and sometimes contain fossils.

Igneous Rocks
Igneous rocks generally have no layers, have variable textures, and do not contain fossils.

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Links Layers of the Earth Rocks in our World Rock Cycle Three Classes of Rocks Rocks, Minerals & Soils (game) Rock Hounds The study of rocks and minerals introduces students to the science of geology.

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If you're a kid, or a kid at heart, and love rocks, minerals and geology, you'll love our website!

You'll be able to look through our neat gallery of minerals with nice pictures,
good information and all the details about your favorite specimens!

Our links section will let you know about good fun websites on the web all about geology!

You can go and look at our learn and fun pages to help you learn more about geology
and rock collections and if you are looking for good quality specimens to start a collection,
or just add to it, we have hand picked a few great places for you to look first!

Mineral Gallery * Learn About Geology * Geology Fun * Geology Videos * Geology Links * Family Resources * Teacher Resources * Rock & Minerals Kits * Home

This website has been created and maintained by kids, and a little help from Mom...

RockHound Kids.com is owned and operated by Jessica Chekal & Dragon Mountain Treaures © December 2003
All Rights Reserved. No Duplication without Permission. Newly Updated 5-2013

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Rock Hound Kids - Rocks, Minerals, Fossils for Kids, Children, Study , kits, gallery of minerals, homeschool education & teacher supplies and much more!

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If you're a kid, or a kid at heart, and love rocks, minerals and geology, you'll love our website! You'll be able to look through our neat gallery of minerals with nice pictures, good information and all the details about your favorite specimens!