home

=My rocks.= =My minerals.= =A mineral is a pure, naturaly acuring non living solid. Here are my minerals.= =Calcite:is a mineral that occurs in small amounts in most types of rocks and makes up the largest part of limestone and marble. Pure calcite is transparent or white, but a variety of impurities can give this mineral certain colors. Nickel impurities produce green calcite; manganese, pink calcite; and iron, brown calcite. Calcite in the form of limestone is the chief source of lime. Limestone also serves as a raw material in cement and mortar and as a building stone.= =Pyrite:When pyrite is struck with a hammer, sparks are produced. In the past, some Indians and members of a number of other cultures used pyrite in order to make fire.=

== =Jasper: is harder than a knife, and it can scratch glass. It takes a high polish and is used for mantels, pillars, and other fancy interior finishings. Fine grades of jasper are polished into gems. The most beautiful varieties come from Siberia, Greece, India, Turkey, and Poland.= == =Quartz:It is abundant in most beach sands because its grains do not dissolve easily in water. Quartz crystals often line rock cavities called //geodes//.= =Large, well-formed quartz crystals serve as lenses in certain types of microscopes and telescopes= = =