Mineral Picture Gallery
Special Galleries: Mineral Habits, Mineral Lusters
ROCK-FORMING MINERALS
Minerals that are abundant and widespread.
Amphibole:
Actinolite—Close-up of this dark-green metamorphic mineral.
Glaucophane—This showy blue amphibole marks subducted basalts.
Hornblende—A black pocket in a Sierra Nevada granite.
Biotite—Black mica is common and marks mafic rocks.
Calcite—A piece of Iceland spar demonstrates double refraction.
Dolomite—Cousin to calcite, a common carbonate.
Feldspar:
Plagioclase—This common mineral can be hard to identify.
Potassium Feldspar (Microcline)—The deep-green amazonite variety.
Garnet:
Almandine—Some good grains from New York.
Andradite—Green crystals from central California.
Grossular—A greenish garnet illustrated by a well-formed crystal.
Pyrope—Displayed in a California eclogite.
Spessartine—A honey-colored set of crystals from China.
Magnetite—A genuine lodestone and a magnetic crystal.
Muscovite—A specimen of white mica from southern New York.
Olivine—Close-up of a crystal in Hawaiian lava.
Pyrite—A gallery of "fool's gold," the most important sulfide mineral.
Pyroxene (Omphacite)—A green pyroxene typical in metamorphics.
Quartz—The commonest mineral, silica takes many forms:
Chalcedony—The cloudy, colorful microcrystalline form of silica.
Opal—This silica gemstone displays a whole rainbow of colors.
Special Galleries: Amphiboles, Feldspars, Quartz
ACCESSORY MINERALS
Minerals that are widespread and significant but rarely abundant.
Apatite—This phosphate mineral makes up teeth and bones.
Aragonite—Clear crystals of calcite's close cousin.
Barite—A heavy mineral forms fanciful "roses."
Bornite—This "peacock ore" copper mineral turns a crazy blue-green.
Chalcopyrite—The foremost ore of copper.
Chrysotile—The fibrous mineral most commonly used as asbestos.
Corundum—Natural alumina, sometimes known as sapphire and ruby.
Epidote—Metamorphic mineral of a peculiar green color.
Fluorite—Every rockhound has a piece of this soft, colorful mineral.
Galena—A heavy, glittering mineral, principal source of lead metal.
Graphite—The stuff of pencils has more rugged uses too.
Gypsum—Shown in its prettiest form, "desert roses."
Halite—Also known as rock salt, this evaporite mineral sits at your table.
Hematite—A piece of "kidney ore" stands in for this common mineral.
Lepidolite—Lithium mica with a fine lilac color.
Petroleum (Crude Oil)—A black blob of natural seepage sits on a beach.
Psilomelane—Manganese oxides make up this crusty mineral.
Rutile—Needles of it float in clear quartz.
Sphalerite—The major zinc ore and an interesting mineral.
Staurolite—A typical crossed pair of crystals in a mica-schist matrix.
Talc—The softest mineral of them all.
Tourmaline—The common black variety called schorl.
Zircon—Both a gemstone and a precious source of geologic information.
Special Gallery: Metallic Minerals
UNCOMMON MINERALS AND VARIETIES
Minerals that are rare and sometimes valuable.
Amethyst—The brilliant purple form of crystalline quartz.
Axinite—A minor mineral of striking crystal form and color.
Benitoite—A striking blue, very rare and weird ring silicate.
Chrysocolla—This bright green-blue mineral is a sure sign of copper ore.
Cinnabar—The lipstick-red ore of mercury.
Copper—The native metal shown in two typical forms.
Diamond—Blowup of a natural diamond crystal from the Congo.
Fuchsite—A Brazilian specimen of this green chromian muscovite.
Gold—Close-up of a real Alaskan nugget.
"Herkimer Diamond" Quartz—Doubly terminated crystals from New York.
Labradorite—The butterfly of the feldspars has dazzling blue schiller.
Lazurite—The ancient source of ultramarine.
Platinum—Some rare crystals of the native metal.
Rhodochrosite—Calcite's manganese cousin has a distinctive rosy color.
Ruby—A fat thumb-sized pebble of this deep-red corundum.
Topaz—Hardness and good crystals make it a popular mineral.
Ulexite—One of many borate minerals, ulexite forms the unique "TV rock."
Variscite—This phosphate comes in veins like slabs of green candy.
Other picture galleries:
Fossil Pictures
Glaciers and Ice Pictures
Landform Pictures
Rock Pictures
Geologic Features and Processes Pictures
Geology and Society Pictures
Free Geologic Wallpaper Pictures
