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Common Rock-Forming Minerals

By Emma Hirsch and Vanessa Madler

Feldspar

Quartz

Quartz is an igneous rock made out of molecules of silicon and oxygen atoms held together in a crystal pattern. All of the silica and oxygen that make quartz came originally from the insides of stars, and it shot out of the stars when the stars exploded as supernovas. Then the silica formed part of a nebula, a dust cloud floating in space. There are many different kinds of quartz, depending on exactly how it cooled down. Some kinds have large crystals, and some have very small crystals. Small amounts of other materials that get into the stone can give it colors - quartz with a little iron in it is a pink color or a purple color called amethyst. Some kinds of quartz are nearly transparent (you can see through them) Quartz is used in glass, and jewelry, and used in electronics. It is very durable and heat resistant and has electrical properties.

Feldspar is a very common igneous rock - more than half of the Earth's crust is made of feldspar. When molecules of aluminum, silica and oxygen get together with potassium, they combine to make the rock feldspar. Feldspar is a very common mineral found in the Earth's crust, making up about 60%. It is often seen in road cuts along Ontario highways up North. Feldspar tends to be pink.

When feldspar is green-blue, it is called amazonite.

Feldspar is a common mineral in many rocks. It is also commonly found in granite.

Mica

Calcite

Hornblende

Mica that is black or brown is known as biotite mica.

Mica that is pearly white or cream colored is muscovite mica. Purple mica is lepidolite. Mica schist is a rock that has a lot of mica in it as well as other minerals. Mica is a very common part of many rocks. It is mica that makes granite sparkle. Mica is the only mineral that can be bent without breaking. That is because it can be peeled into very thin sheets.

Calcite is truly one of the best collection type minerals. There are lots of interesting forms and varieties as well as colorful and beautiful specimens to collect. It's used in mainly construction industry. Either as a building material or limestone aggregate for road building or an ingredient of cement. Calcite is a very common mineral. It is found in most places on earth. It is a sedimentary mineral.

Calcite crystals come in many different shapes.

There are more than 300 different crystal shapes. This is more than any other mineral.

People who decide to collect only calcite can have a very interesting collection because there are so many shapes that calcite comes in.

One common use for calcite is that it is used in making cement.

A green to black mineral of the amphorae group which consists of silicates of calcium and sodium and magnesium and iron. Hornblende is found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks such as granite, syenite, diorite, gabbro basalt, andesite, gneiss and schist. It is the principal mineral of amphibolites. It is not technically a mineral in its own right.

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