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: Mohs scale for metallic elements and alloys
• CoreKids: Michigan minerals A-Z (handout)
• CoreKids: Rock and mineral uses (handout)
• CoreKids: Rocks and minerals (poster)
• Home Advisor: Rock collecting
• Home Rock Collecting: Guide
• Mineralogy Society of America: Mineralogy4Kids
• National Earth Science Teachers Association: Rock and the rock cycle
• United States Geological Survey: Mineral resources program