Aragonite CaCO3 Carbonates Group

Chalcopyrite in Dolomite CuFeS2 Sulfides Group

Malachite CU2 CO3 (oh)3 Carbonate Group

     Physical Features
1. Color- Green.
2. Streak- Light Green.
3. Luster- Adamantine to vitreous, silky, dull to earthy.
4. Cleavage- Good in one direction but rarley seen.
5. Transparency- Opaque in massive and translucent in crystalline.
6. Fracture- Conchoidal to splintery.
7. Hardness- 3.5-4.
8. Forms- Massive
9. Crystal Structure- Monoclinic.

The first time I saw Malachite, I fell in love with it. Now I'm an avid collector, whether raw, polished, tumbled, in carvings, or as figurines, I just can't get enough. Malachite is my favorite copper carbonate mineral. It's banded light and dark green designs are so amazing. The mineral provides a varity of beautiful and interesting pattern's. It might just be one of the most liked minerals in history. Malachites name derives from the greek for "Mallow", in reference to It's leaf-green color.
 Typically Malachite occurs in the altered areas of copper and limestone deposits. It may be associated with the mineral azurite, goethite or calcite. The mineral crystallizes in monoclinic crystal system and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, and stalagmitic masses.
Larg quantities of malachite can be found in the mines of Ural, Russia. Isreal also mines malachite extensively at Timna Valley, also known as "King Solomons Mine".

Copper Cu Native Elements Group

                                                                    

   Physical Features

1. Color- Bright Red.

2. Streak- Metallic coppery.

3. Luster- Metallic.

4. Cleavage- None.

5. Transparency- Opaque.

6. Fracture- Ductile, hackly.

7. Hardness- 2.5-3.

8. Forms- Massive.

9. Crystal System- Cubic.

Copper is one of our most vital native elements in the world. The beautiful bright reddish luster gives it a rich warm feeling. This bright, soft native mineral is usually found around igneous rock, limestone, slate, sandstone and can also be associated with the native element sulfur. Copper is mostly formed as a secondary mineral due to the other iron-bearing minerals. If the copper forms well, it will form as cubic or dodechdral crystal, which may be rare. Other forms may be in twisted veins, wirelike strings and in sheets. In todays modern world we use copper for many purposes, such as, telephones, building wire, electronics, transportation, machinery and everyday general products. The native element has been dated back 10,000 years ago. Then it was used in ancient times as a substitution for stone. They allowed it to make tin, bronze and zinc to produce brass.

The United States has many copper mines, although Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan has one of the largest production of native copper. The massive open-pit copper mine in Utah is also another major mine in the states, but the worlds largest concentration of native copper exists in Chili. I'll have to visit there one day to see the beauty of this ancient mineral.

For a bit of trivia: Did you know that policemen in the United States were nick-named "cops" or "coppers" because the buttons on their uniforms were made of copper? Pretty cool story!

Belemnetella Americana (Fossils)

Group- Cephalopods.

Date- Late Cretaceous.

Size- From up to 5 in.

Location- Europe, North America.

Belemnitella Americana, Belemnitella American, I just love the way that sounds, what a cool name, lol. I also love finding the fossil. The Belemnitella is an ancient squidlike cephalopod that lived during the late cretaceous period. Resembling a bullet, the Belemnitella tappers to a point, which is know as mucron, Their bodys had tentacles for catching small prey and they used a jet propulsion to move around, they did that in a backward motion, too cool. The color can vary from a orangish-brown to a orangish-yellow, but when there in the water they tend to look bright orange.

The Belemnitella Americana shown above were found in the Navesink Formation of Big Brook Perserve in Colts Neck N.J. Every year I journey from Massachusettes to this paticular spot hoping to find fossils that once had life, and once thrived in our waters. We do know today that these cephalopods swam in massive groups along the shallow waters. Big Brook Perserve is the perfect example of how large their groups were. Certain sections of the brook show the enormous amount of Belemnitellas that were left behind, graveyards of them. Their schools dominated the area and are the most common cephalopod in the brook.

On a hot sunny day the sun shows us the wonderful treasures that are here, left behind from prehistoric times.

Hematite Fe2O3 Oxides Group

Physical Features

1. Color- Metallic gray to earthy red.

2. Streak- Bright red.

3. Luster- Metallic.

4. Cleavage-None.

5. Transparency- Opaque.

6. Fracture- Uneven to sudconchoidal.

7. Hardness- 5.5-6.5

8. Forms- Tabular, botryoidal.

9. Crystal system- Hexagonal (rhombohedral).

Hematite is the most important iron oxide in the world. Hematite contains over 70 percent iron. This iron ore is be often found as a covering, or coating, on rocks that are igneous, metamorphic, and those that are sedimentray. When looking for Hematite, look for rocks that hold a reddish, or rust like color to them. It forms as a hydrothermal, or as a secondary mineral by filling in the pocket's and crevice's with it's wonderful metallic luster. Hematite formes are usually tabular, botryoidal, and rhombohedral. Today, the Lake Superior region has the most abundent supplier of Hematite in the U.S.A. Other occurrences can be noted worldwide.

Sodalite Na4A13(SiO4)3CI) Silicates/ Tectosilicates Group

Physical Features

1. Color- Gray, white, blue, green, yellow violet.

2. Streak- Colorless, white, light blue.

3. Luster- Vitreous to greasdy.

4. Cleavage- Poor to distinct.

5. Transparency- Transparent to translucent.

6. Fracture-Uneven to conchoidal.

7. Hardness- 5.5-6.

8. Forms- Granular to Massive.

9. Crystal feature- Cubic.

Sodalite is a rich blue mineral named for it's high sodium aluminum silicate chloride. In mineralogy it maybe classed as a feldspathoid. Sodalite typically occures in massive granular forms, which crystals are relatively rare and are dodecahedral or octahedral. Much of Sodalite is found in veins of dry silica-poor plutonic igneous rocks such as nepheline syenites, pegmatites and phonolites. On the rare occassion may be found in volcanic ejecta and metamorphosed limestones and dolomite. Hackmanite is a rare but highly important variety of Sodalite which has been said to exhibit the ability to change color when exposed to sunlight. These occurrences happen through out the world.

Rock Crystals Si02 Silicates/Tectosilicates Group

Physican Features

1. Color- Colorless.

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster-Vitreous.

4. Cleavage-None.

5. Transparency- Transparent.

6. Fracture- Conchoidal.

7. Hardness- 7.

8. Forms- Prismatic.

9. Crystal system- Trigonal/Hexagonal.

Rock crystal is the colorless variety of quartz. Rock crystals crystalize directly from magma (lava), in pegmatites, and in low temperatures. This is the purest variety of quartz. The crystals can grow to enormous sizes in pegmatites. They also form inside geodes, as crystalline, and microcrystalline quartz. Quartz is a silicon dioxide and is the third most common mineral in the earths crust. This makes quartz an important and essential component of acidic igneous rock's and can be found just about anywhere.

Jade-Nephrite-Jadite Silicates-Inosilicates Group

Physical Features

1. Color- Green, white, gray, bluish, brown.

2. Streak- Colorless.

3. Luster- Greasy.

4. Cleavage-Good.

5. Transparency- Translucent.

6. Fracture- Splintery.

7. Hardness- 6.5-7.

8. Forms- Rare as a crystal

9. Crystal system-Monoclinic

Jade is actually two seperate minerals called Nephrite and Jadite. Nephrite (a member of the amphibole group), which consists of a microcrystaline interlocking fibrous matrix of calcium magnesium-iron rich amphibole. Jadite (a proxene) consists almost entirely of sodium and aluminium rich proxene with interlocking crystal matrix also. Both minerals form is of microcrystaline and generally occur in metamorphic rocks with a higher pressure, Low temperature, but are made up of different silicate minerals. Although Nephrite and Jadite are mainly recovered as pebbles and boulders it can also occure in the rocks which it was originally formed. Large occurrences can be found in Alaska, California, British Columbia, Japan and China.

Howlite Ca2B5Si09(OH)5 Silicates and Carbonates Group

Physical Featureshttp1. Color- White.

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster- Subvitreous.

4. Cleavage- None.

5. Transparency- Translucent to opaque.

6. Fracture- Conchoidal to uneven.

7. Hardness- 3.5.

8. Form-Nodular masses.

9. Crystal system-- Monoclinic.

In 1868 Canadian Chemist Henry Howe discovered the mineral Howlite, hence the name. Howlite is a calcium borosilicate hydroxide, which occurs in continental evaporite deposits. Many times Howlite is found with other borate and evaporite minerals, such as colemanite, ulexite, anhydrite, gypsum, and clays. Some say the Howlite imitates the mineral turquiose, especially when dyed. California and Canada hold the largest deposit's of Howlite, but can be found all over the world.

Petrified wood

Physical Featuhttp

1. Color- Brown, gray, red, yellow.

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster- Waxy, vitreous, dull.

4. Cleavage- None.

5. Transparency- Transparent to opaque.

6. Fracture- Conchoidal.

7. Hardness- 7.

How does a tree become petrified? About 200 million year's ago when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, large tree's somewhat like the modern day conifer's grew abundant. As the tree's aged and died off, they fell to the ground to lay. Eventually the tree's were swept away by raging flood water's, river's, and lake's. Many of these tree's decomposed quickly, but for others, they were buried deep into massive amounts of oxygen free sediments. The lack of oxygen in the sediments causes the decaying process to slow. The sediment covering the tree's is rich in silica, and volcanic ash, and over a period of time the minerals began to dissolve in the water that seeped through the sediment. This allows the mineral's to absorb within the porous wood. After thousands of years crystalization starts forming in the cellular structure replacing the organic material with Quartz, chalcedony, and jasper. This is called petrification, even today we cannot fully understand the process of fossilization of tree's. Petrified wood's coloring comes from the impurities present in the wood during fossilization, some of these impurities may be caused by manganese ,iron, lithium, and copper. Petrified wood is considered pseudomorph. Pseudomorphs are minerals which change in their chemical composition, but remain in their original state. One of the largest deposits of petrified wood is found at Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park.

Mica KAI2(AISi3)O10(OH,F)2 Silicate Group

Physical Features

1. Color- Colorless to pale yellow.

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster- Pearly.

4. Cleavage- Perfect.

5. Transparency- Transparent in thin layers.

6. Fracture- Even.

7. Hardness- 2 to 4.

8. Forms- Poorly crystalized.

There are 37 different mica minerals, all in which have crystalline structure that forms layers that can be split into thin sheets. Chemically they contain complex silicates of aluminium and alkalies with hydroxyl. Some varieties may contain iron, magnesium, and lithium. Mica can be found in pegmatites which are widely distributed and occurs in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks (granite). Mica pegmatite consists of a quartz core with feldspar sides. There are seven important mica minerals. Starting with the most popular of the group. 1. Muscovite, 2. Paragonite, 3. Lepidolite, 4. Phlogopite, 5. Biotite, 6. Zinnualdite, 7. Lepidomelane. Mica occurs all over the world.

Chrysocolla (CuAI) 2H2Si2O5(OH)4nH2O Silicates/phyllosilicates

Physical Features
1. Color- Blue, blue-green.
2. Streak- Pale blue, tan, gray.
3. Luster- Vitreousto earthy.
4. Cleavage- None.
5. Transparency- Transparent to nearly opaque.
6. Fracture- Uneven to conchoidal.
7. Hardness- 2-4.
8. Forms- Massive.
9. Crystal systems- Orthorombic.
Chrysocolla is a mineral that is made from hydrated copper silicate. It most commonly forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies. Many times chrysocolla is associated with other minerals, such as quartz, limonite, azurite, malachite and cuprite, which are frequently intergrown together. Typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses and crusts, or vein fillings. Chrysocolla is sometimes confused with turquoise because of it's light color. Some say it's used for inspiration or creativity, and may help to promote communication.

Jet Organics/ Hydrocarbons

Physical Features

1. Color- Black, brown.

2. Streak- Black to dark brown.

3. Luster- Velvety to waxy.

4. Cleavage- None.

5. Transparency- Opaque.

6. Fracture- Conchoidal.

7. Hardness- 2.5.

8. Forms- Amorphous.

Jet has been classified as a coal because of it's high carbon content. Jet is a fossil wood belived to have formed as a result of being waterlogged and then buried in oxygen deprived mud of the ocean floor for millions of years. Today Jet occurrences can be found in sedimentary marine rocks all over the world. Just the other day when digging in my garden I came across a real nice piece, and of course I saved it. Maybe one day, i'll use it in a ring. Jet is well known for it's amazing uses as an ornamental, such as jewlery.

Orthoceras and Ammonites (fossils)

Herkimer Diamonds Double Terminated Quartz Silicate Group

Physical Features

1. Color- Clear.

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster- Glassy.

4. Cleavage- None.

5. Transparency- Transparent.

6. Fracture- Conchoidal.

7. Hardness- 7.

8. Forms- Faceted.

9. Crystal system- Doubly terminated.

Herkimer Diamonds have a typical hexagonal habit such as quartz, but instead of having a termination on one end they are both doubly terminated. This is a result of the crystals growing with little or no contact with their host rock (dolomite), making Herkimer Diamonds very rare. These diamonds were first discovered in exposed outcrops of dolomite, where they form in cavities, and pockets within the dolomite, sometimes the pockets are also frequently filled with druzy quartz crystals. These occurrences can be found in Herkimer New York and around the little falls area of middleville. There have been other doubly terminated diamonds found in Arizona, Afgahanistan, Norway, the Ukraine, and China. Although they are the same, they are not considered Herkimer Diamonds.

Fossil Rock N.Y. (West Canadian Creek)

Fossil Rock This fossil rock was found in Herkimer New York (West Canadian Creek). Many different fossils have preserved themselves in this piece of sedimentary rock. Ammonites, Trilobites and even Brachipods. Although small in size, they are there, reminding us of their past existence, and how we can learn about them today.

Arrowheads

Obsidian Arrowheads

Amber Organics Group

Physical features

1. Color- Yellow to brown.

2. Luster- Greasy.

3. Transparency- Transparent to translucent.

4. Hardness- 2.5.

Organic gemstones are those that formed as a result of living processes, such as Amber. Amber is a fossil resin thought to have come from trees, pines, conifers, and some angiosperms. Technically Amber is not a mineral, but is classed as a precious stone. Most amber is less than 100 million years old, but can be considered a fossil. The real fossils are the insects which get trapped in the tree resin (sap). As the resin hardens the insects which are trapped are amazingly preserved in exquisite detail. The inclusion of insects in Amber are rare finds, most Amber does not contain insects, so when ever this happens it's considered to be a remarkable find. Amber can usually be associated with coal and shale deposits around the world. Some of these occurrences can be found in the Dominican Republic, Germany, Canada and the U.S.A..

Gastropods Turritella (Fossils)

Marine snails whether freshwater or terrestrial are called the Gastropods, and are the most diversified class belonging to the mollusks family. These coiled shelled snails dated back to the Cambrian period. Gastropods have become so successfully adapted to almost every kind of existence on earth today. The marine variety of snail mostly lives in shallow waters, but could be found in depths of more than 15,ooo feet deep. Terrestrial Gastropods have colonized to the land and are known as the land snail and slug. Gastropods can be found today, worldwide in seas, oceans, rivers, and on land. . Gastropods usually preserve their entire shell, leaving only an empty mold. Their existence today amazes me.

Megalodon shark tooth, and Great white teeth (fossils)

The jaw of a Megalodon. This picture was taken at the aquarium in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
A piece of Megalodon tooth.

 

Megalodon lived during the Miocene and Pliocene eras, 15 million years ago. Their teeth ranged from 1.5 to 6.5 inches in length, some over 7 inches. Many Megalodon teeth have been discovered in both coasts of the U.S.A. but most occurrences are common in Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

                                   Great white shark teeth

Misc. Fossilized Sharks Teeth

Sharks are a type of fish that have a skeleton of cartilage and because cartilage cannot be preserved, the sharks teeth and vertebrate are the only fossils left behind. Sharks date back to the Devonian period. These vertebrates are highly Mobile and very complex fish. Sharks have tooth like bones among their scales and numerous generations of teeth. Sharks have multiple rows of teeth in each row there are about 20 to 30 teeth. A whale shark might have 300 teeth per row. That's alot of teeth. Sharks lose many teeth at a time but they also have the ability to replace those that are lost in about 2-3 weeks. When collecting fossils choose locations like beaches, river banks and sand pits.

Orthoceras (fossils)

Orthoceras was an ancient Mollusk that dated back to the Silurian age 400 million years ago. They are the ancestors to the squid and its nickname was straight horn because their characteristics were of being long and straight. These straight shelled nautiloids ranged from less than a centimeter to more than 10 feet in length. Orthoceras could crawl the ocean floors as well as float through the water by propelling its self. Orthoceras fills its chamber inside their shells with air then squirting jets of water out. This way they could feed on the ocean floor and feed while floating. Many of these occurrences have been found in Morocco, and N.Africa and among many other places around the world.

Quartz SiO2 Silicate Group, subgroup Quartz

Smoky Quartz

Quartz

Quartz Crystals
Blue Quartz

Quartz Crystals

Kyanite Al2SiO4 Silicate Group

Physical feature

1. Color- Pale blue, gray , white

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster- Pearly to vitreous.

4. Cleavage- excellent.

5. Transparency- Translucent to transparent.

6. Fracture- None.

7. Hardness- 4(c axis) 7(b axis).

8. Forms- Long, lath-shaped crystals.

Kyanite is a gray greenish-blue. This mineral consisting of aluminium silicate in crystalline forms occurs in metaphoric rock. Kyanite is a very high pressure mineral, which means under extreme pressure the sedimentary rocks will change into metamorphic rocks. Kyanite is used as a refractory. In our modern world we manufacture spark plugs and other heat resistant ceramics from the mineral kyanite. Its also said to have the power of creativity and give one a sense of being calm and tranquil. Many of these mineral occurrences happen in mica schist's. Kyanite can be associated with staurolite, garnet, cornudrum, quarts and micas. Found in Europe, Russia and the U.S.A. (N. Carolina).

Agate SiO2 Silicate group, subgroup Quartz

Physical features

1. Color- Variable.

2. Streak- None.

3. Luster- Waxy.

4. Cleavage- None.

5. Transparency- Translucent to transparent.

6. Fracture- Conchoidal with sharp edges.

7. Hardness- 7.

8. Forms- Cryptocrystalline silica filling geodes.

Agate is a very common silica rich mineral, that is of a microcrystalline variety of quartz, also known as chalcedony. Agate is well known for it's brightly color banding. The bands are created by traces of iron and manganese. Agate formations occur when there is water containing alkali and silica. Iron hydroxide attacks the surrounding magma (lava) which then loses water and begins to crystallize. Many agates can also be hollow, since deposition has not proceeded enough to fill the cavity. When this happens it's known as a geode. Agate are found among volcanic rocks and ancient lavas, and in cavities as a secondary mineral, often found in metamorphic surroundings like granite intrusions, also can be in some sediments worldwide.

Moonstones KAISi3O8 Silicate Group, subgroup Feldspar

Physical feature

1. Color- Colorless, yellow, with a sheen of blue or pink.

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster- Vitreous to silky.

4. Cleavage- Perfect.

5. Transparency- Semi-Transparent.

6. Fracture- Uneven to conchoidal.

7. Hardness- 6 to 6.5.

8. Forms- Are very massive.

Feldspar's are minerals which cover almost two thirds of all the rocks on the earth. They are made up of aluminum silicates. Moonstone is one of many gemstone variety that belongs to the feldspar family. Moonstone is a translucent orthoclase which diffracts reflected light, this is how the moonstone gives off a mysterious shimmer of light. Granite is highly rich in feldspar. The occurrences of moonstone happen in pegmatites. As residual liquids cool from magma (lava) igneous rocks form producing an ideal growing environments. Beaches also have ideal conditions for moonstones occurrences, due to their high specific gravity and resistance to weather. I personally have found many moonstones along freshwater beaches. Although India is know for their moonstones, occurrences happen all over the world.

Freshwater pearls CaCO3 Organics Group

Physical features

1. Color- White to greenish-blue, pink and black.

2. Streak- White.

3. Luster- Pearly.

4. Cleavage- None.

5. Transparency- Translucent.

6. Fracture- Breaks uneven.

7. Hardness- 3.5 to 4.

8. Forms- Oval.

Pearls form inside any living mollusks. Most commonly grown in oysters but also occur in conchs, clams and even mussels. Mollusks live in both subtropical and tropical waters. Pearls form when a particle of sand, or by any other irritant that gets trapped between the shell and the soft outer body parts of the mollusk. In order for the mollusk to ease the irritation it secretes narc. Some pearls may even form a cyst due to encystation, and as the narc continues to secrete around the irritated area, layers begin to build, and after about 7 years a pearl will form. Freshwater pearls are fished out of rivers in Europe and the U.S.A. These pearls (shown above) are from Asia.

Brachiopods- Microspirifer (Fossils)

Brachiopods were one of the most common marine animals throughout the Cambrian period 450 million years ago. These bottom dwellers had two shells or valves that are joined along a common hinge. Brachiopods could be found along the ocean floor, where they would attach themselves with a pedicle (a type of feeler) from their backs. Brachiopods eat their food by filtering water, like a pump, pushing it in and out of its shell. Many reefs are composed of Brachiopods and in other environments where shale is isolated. Brachiopods can be found in clay sediments and in muddy conditions around water. Even though Brachiopods still survive today, they prefer cool, deep water conditions, and can be very rare. Note:) If Brachiopods are preserved well they can have amazingly delicate spines on their twin valves. Known occurrences of Brachiopods are Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.A. (North Atlantic coastline). Last year when visiting New York (Herkimer) I found many of these marine animals in the sediments along the West Canadian Creek.

Fern fossil

Fossils are the mineralized or otherwise preserved remains of animals, plants and any other living organism. Ferns first appeared during the Devonian, in highly vast areas worldwide which were covered in dense forests. Overtime these fern trees formed what are known as carboniferous coal swamps. Fossil ferns may be abundant and can usually be found where the environment is acidic. Coal deposits are a great location for many plant fossils. Fern fossils range in color from brownish black, whit, gray and tan. Pyrite and Pyrophyllite are the cause for the white coloration of the fern. There are many plant fossil occurrences all over the world. Fern fossils can be found in mudstones and shale. Large amounts have been found in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Spinosaurus AegyptiacusTeeth (Fossils)

Selenite CaSO4 2H2O Hydrous Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum). (satin spa, Desert rose)

Desert Rose
Desert RoseSatin Spa

Satin Spa

Swan Lake

Physical features

1. Color- colorless.

2. Streak- white.

3. Luster- Glassy or vitreous.

4. Cleavage- Excellent.

5. Transparency- Transparent to opaque.

6. Fracture- Conchoidal sometimes fibrous.

7. Hardness- 1.5-2.

8. Forms- Massive, flat, prismatic crystals.

There are many varieties of Gypsum, this variety is called Selenite. Gypsum is composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate. This piece of Selenite definitely has an obvious crystalline structure that is colorless. Selenite is a non-metallic mineral that can be easily scratched if not careful while holding. Never leave Gypsum in water for it will degrade itself. The mineral Gypsum is relatively common, although this variety of Selenite is less common due to its clear crystals. Selenite occurrences have been found in beds and sometimes massive in sedimentary rocks, like limestone's, shale, and clay. Gypsum is known in Russia, France and the U.S.A. (New York, Kentucky and Utah).