Rocks and Minerals
What is a Mineral?
How hard is a diamond? What is the difference between granites and garnets? Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. They are inorganic, crystalline solids with a known chemistry. Examples of minerals include diamonds, garnets and even water ice! Rocks are made up of one or more types of minerals; for example, granites are made of quartz and feldspar.
Resources
All ages
- Alan's Factory Outlet:
- CoreKids: Michigan minerals A-Z (handout)
- CoreKids: Rock and mineral uses (handout)
- CoreKids: Rocks and minerals (poster)
- Home Advisor:
- Home Rock Collecting:
- Mineralogy Society of America:
- National Earth Science Teachers Association:
- United States Geological Survey: