Welcome Environmental Science Lab Students!
Use the pictures and information provided below to answer the questions in your lab manual.
Some pictures will show you a single mineral, others will show you a mineral display, fossil, or other geological piece. Clicking on the pictures will enlarge them for you.
Mineral Name: Tourmaline
Chemical Formula: FeWO4
Color: Colorless, blue, pink, red, and/or green
Streak: Colorless
Luster: Vitreous
Hardness: 7-7.5
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transluscent to opaque
Other Information: Pieces of tourmaline that are pink on the inside and green on the outside are nicknamed “watermelon tourmaline”
Mineral Name: Quartz
Chemical Formula: SiO2
Color: Colorless, white, pink, purple, black, brown, and/or yellow
Streak: White
Luster: Vitreous
Hardness: 7
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transparent to nearly opaque
Other Information: Colored quartz is often nicknamed. Black quartz is nicknamed “smokey quartz”
Mineral Name: Smithsonite
Chemical Formula: ZnCO3
Color: Yellow, orange, brown, pink, lilac, white, gray, green, and/or blue
Streak: White
Luster: Vitreous to pearly
Hardness: 4-4.5
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transluscent
Other Information: This mineral is named after James Smithson, the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institute
Display Case: Cabochons
Unlike our gemstone case which displays minerals that have been faceted, our cabochon case displays minerals that have been polished into a smooth surface without any facets. Facets are flat “faces” carved into harder, translucent-transparent minerals to reflect light (think about diamond engagement rings). Cabochons are typically made from softer, opaque minerals
Mineral Name: Hematite
Chemical Formula: Fe2O3
Color: Mostly grays and reds
Streak: Black to reddish brown
Luster: Metallic to submetallic
Hardness: 5-6
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Opaque
Other Information: When hematite grows in the crystal habit pictured on the left, it is referred to as “kidney ore”
Display Case: Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescence is the mineral phenomenon of “glowing” in response to Ultra-Violet (UV) light. Some minerals will exhibit fluorescence while others do not. Generally speaking, various activators at the atomic level are credited with causing the fluorescent response of a given mineral.
Display Case: Ohio Minerals
While Ohio may not have volcanoes, large mountains, deep canyons, or other exciting geological features, the buckeye state is home to a wide variety of naturally-occurring minerals. On display there are several examples of mineral species that can be found in Ohio.
Mineral Name: Fluorite
Chemical Formula: CaF2
Color: Colorless, purple, yellow, green, blue, pink, brown
Streak: White
Luster: Vitreous
Hardness: 4
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transparent to translucent
Other Information: The highest quality of fluorite is considered “acid grade” and is used to produce hydrofluoric acid, from which fluoride compounds used in drinking water and toothpaste can be created.
Geological Piece: Meteorites
While most meteorites are considered stony (composed of silicate minerals) around 6% are classified as iron or stony-iron meteorites. These meteorites, such as the ones in our display, contain the magnetic elements iron and nickel.
Mineral Name: Quartz
Chemical Formula: SiO2
Color: Colorless, white, pink, purple, black, brown, and/or yellow
Streak: White
Luster: Vitreous
Hardness: 7
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transparent to nearly opaque
Other Information: Amethyst is the name given to quartz that is purple
Mineral Name: Calcite
Chemical Formula: CaCO3
Color: Colorless, white, yellow, red, orange, blue, green, brown and/or gray
Streak: White
Luster: Vitreous
Hardness: 3
Rxn to Acid: Yes
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transparent to translucent
Other Information: This specimen is called pine cone calcite due to its unique shape and was found in Mexico.
Geological Piece: Realgar and Orpiment
Some minerals have a best friend. Mineral associations, such as the case here with the two minerals realgar and orpiment, are minerals that tend to occur together in the same environments. While they are each distinct minerals that can form independently of one another, a joined piece with both minerals is also not uncommon, especially given the similarity of their formulas. Both minerals are composed of arsenic and sulfur (AsS); the distinction between the minerals is due to differences in the ratio of aresenic to sulfur.
Fossil: Crinoids
One misconception about fossilized animals is that they are all extinct today; crinoids, however, can still be found in marine environments. Another misconception about crinoids is that they are plants, probably due to the misleading nickname “sea lily”. Crinoids are animals related to star fish and sea urchins.
Fossil: Coprolite
While coprolite is a general name for fossilized poop, the specimens in our museum come from dinosaurs. Aside from being arguably the most popular items in the museum for small children, coprolites have high scientific value as they can provide clues about extinct animal diets.
Geological Piece: Concretion
These little spherical shapes are cemented pieces of sand called concretions. Concretions such as this one typically “grow” within loose layers of sediment before it hardens into sedimentary rock layers. Sometimes fossils, shells, or even man-made debris such as military shells or shrapnel, can be found at the center of a concretion.
Mineral Name: Kunzite
Chemical Formula: LiAl(Si2O6)
Color: Gray, pink, lilac, green
Streak: White
Luster: Vitreous
Hardness: 6.5-7
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transparent
Other Information: Kunzite is actually the purple/pink gemstone of the mineral spodumene
Fossil: Crinoid Cabin
Certain fossils, such as crinoids, are so abundant that people want to make art with them. Behold, the “log” cabin, composed of fossilized bits of crinoids.
Mineral Name: Sulfur
Chemical Formula: S
Color: Yellow
Streak: White
Luster: Resinous to greasy
Hardness: 1.5-2.5
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Transparent to transluscent
Other Information: Sulfur is known for having an unpleasant rotten eggs odor
Display Case: Native Elements
Minerals are composed of elements. Most minerals are a combination of two or more different elements. For example, the mineral fluorite is a combination of the elements calcium and fluorine. Some minerals, however, are composed of only one element. These minerals are called native elements. Examples in the museum include: copper, gold, and silver.
Display Case: Minerals of Brazil
The country of Brazil is known for a variety of rock, mineral, and other geological resources that have high economic importance as well as significance among mineral collectors. For example, the large purple mineral in the center of the display case is amethyst, which is known to grow large crystals and be prevalent in geodes in Brazil.
Mineral Name: Prehnite
Chemical Formula: Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Color: Green, tan, yellow, gray, blue, white
Streak: White
Luster: Vitreous
Hardness: 6-6.5
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Semi-transparent to translucent
Other Information: In the United States, prehnite can be found in New Jersey
Display Case: Calcite
Calcite is a great mineral when it comes to demonstrating why it is so important for you to use multiple properties when attempting to identify an unknown mineral. Calcite can come in many different colors, shapes, sizes, textures, etc. Some of the interesting calcite crystal shapes are so unique that they’ve been given their own nicknames: brush, cathedral, pine cone, poker chip.
Mineral Name: Pectolite
Chemical Formula: NaCa2Si3O8(OH)
Color: Colorless, white, gray, and/or yellow
Streak: White
Luster: Silky, sub-vitreous
Hardness: 4.5-5
Rxn to Acid: None
Magnetism: None
Transparency: Translucent to opaque
Other Information: The name pectolite comes from the Greek words for “compacted” and “stone”
Display Case: Gemstones
Each month of the year has been assigned a birthstone to represent it; most birthstones are minerals (an example of a birthstone that is technically NOT a mineral is a pearl, because it comes from an animal…but that’s not the point here). In the gemstone display case, the birthstones are laid out by month and show the rough version of the mineral (outside the oval on the black background) as well as the polished or faceted mineral that you might find for sale in a jewelry shop. Some months of the year have been assigned more than one birthstone.
Bonus Question
The mineral in the museum’s collection with the greatest value is in this display case. Take your best guess! But be aware, Google will not necessarily help you answer. A specific mineral’s value is determined by many factors and you do not have the data on these particular pieces available to you. So honestly, just guess! You have a 1/8 chance of guessing correctly.