A mineral is an inorganic substance found in nature, having a characteristic chemical composition and sometimes a definite crystal structure. 

Rocks are inorganic substances composed of one or more minerals.

Igneous Rocks are formed from molten masses within the earth.  They are found beneath or on the earth’s surface.

Sedimentary Rocks are formed through the accumulation of sediments, commonly deposited by the action of wind and water, or through chemical action and evaporation.

Metamorphic Rocks are rocks changed through the action of heat, pressure, and/or loss of chemical components.

(Taken From:  Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories)

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From Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories

MINERALS:  A mineral is an inorganic substance found in nature, having a characteristic chemical composition and sometimes a definite crystal structure.

ROCK FORMING MINERALS: The most common minerals.  Virtually every rock at the earth’s surface contains at least one of these species.

No. 1:  Microcline (“Orthoclase”): silicate of potash and alumina.  The feldspar common in granites, syenites and gneisses.  Ground and used extensively in manufacturing ceramics.

No. 2:  Plagioclase Feldspar (Labradorite):  The sodal lime in feldspar common in gabbro, diorites and basalts.

No. 3:  Quartz Crystal -- Pure Crystalline Silica: Occurs in veins, granites and gneisses.  Ordinary kinds used in making fused-quartz glass.  Very clear varieties used in optical instruments.

No. 4:  Milky Quartz:  Massive variety found in same rocks as clear variety.  Ground quartz used in pottery, paints and polishers.

No. 5:  Muscovite:  White mica common in igneous rocks, usually with biotite or black mica.  Sheet mica used as an insulator in manufacturing electrical appliances.  Ground mica used to make wallpaper, axle grease and Christmas snow.

No. 6:  Hornblende (Amphibole):  Commonly associated with quartz and feldspar in granite, syenite, diorite and gabbro, but seldom in volcanic rocks.

No. 7:  Calcite -- Carbonate of Lime: Among the most widely distributed minerals.  Found in crystals, and also the chief constituent of limestone, marble, chalk and marl.  Often deposited in springs and streams.  Found in caves as stalactites.

No. 8: Garnet:  An iron aluminum silicate.  Occurs in mica-schist as a metamorphic mineral.  Common varieties used as abrasives.  Clear varieties cut as semi-precious gem stones.

ORES OF METALS: Seven of the most common ores.

No. 9 Lead Ore (Galena):  A sulfide of lead, often carrying silver.  Used as cable covering, for plates in automobile batteries, and in acid-resistant tanks and sink linings.

No. 10 Zinc Ore (Sphalerite):  A zinc sulphide.  Used in manufacturing brass, in zinc coatings, and in paint pigments.  Waste gases in smelting process produce sulfuric acid.

No. 11 Copper Ore (Chalcopyrite):  A sulphide of iron and copper.  Provides most of the copper necessary to the electrical industry.  Widely used in manufacturing rust-resistant pipes, and in making bronze and brass.

No. 12 Iron Ore (Hematite).  Ferric Oxide:  Provides huge source or iron for U. S. automobile and related iron and steel industries.

No. 13 Iron Ore (Magnetite):  Compound of ferrous and ferric oxide.  Richest iron ore, mined extensively in Europe, noted for its attraction to iron or a magnet.

No. 14 Iron Ore (Limonite): Hydrated ferric oxide.  Widespread in the U.S., but mined extensively only in Alabama.  Earthy variety, Yellow Ocher, used in paints.

No. 15 Aluminum Ore (Bauxite):  An aluminum oxide.  Principal ore of value in manufacturing aluminum.

USEFUL MINERALS: Five of the important industrial minerals.

No. 16 Pyrite:  An iron sulfide.  Used as a source of sulfur dioxide in manufacturing sulfuric acid.  Ore sometimes contains gold.

No. 17 Halite:  Common rock salt used as table salt, in dairy industry, for meat packing, in pottery, glazing, and medicine.  Used with compounds in metallurgical processes.

No. 18 Graphite:  Pure carbon.  Found in New York, Pennsylvania and Alabama.  Commercial supplies obtained mainly from Sri Lanka and the Malagasy Republic.  Used in “lead” pencils, lubricants and electrodes.

No. 19 Talc:  A silicate of magnesium.  Widely used in face powders, in lubricants, for dressing leathers, and as a filler in paint and roofing material.  Used by industries in many forms.

No. 20 Gypsum:  Hydrous sulfate of lime, generally deposited in inland salt seas.  Very important in manufacturing Portland Cement, plaster of Paris, plaster board and mortar.

ROCKS:  Rocks are inorganic substances composed of one or more minerals.

IGNEOUS ROCKS:  Formed from molten masses within the earth.  They are found beneath or on the earth’s surface.

No. 21 Obsidian:  A volcanic glass formed from lavas cooling too quickly to crystallize.

No. 22 Rhyolite:  A lava rock composed mostly of orthoclase feldspar and quartz.

No. 23 Biotite-Granite:  Common igneous rock composed of quartz, orthoclase feldspar, biotite, and hornblende.  Used as a building stone.

No. 24 Hornblende Syenite:  Similar to granite, but with very little quartz.

No. 25 Basalt:  Fine-grained.  Composed of plagioclase feldspar, augite and olivine.

No. 26 Gabbro:  Coarse-grained.  Composed of feldspar and pyroxene.

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:   Formed through the accumulation of sediments, commonly deposited by the action of wind and water, or through chemical action and evaporation.

No. 27 Chert:  A dense, fine-grained rock composed of chemically precipitated silica (quartz).

No. 28 Gravel:  Rounded pebbles, worn by rubbing or running waters.

No. 29 Conglomerate:  Gravel consolidated and cemented together by silica or carbonate of lime.

No. 30 Red Sandstone:  Quartz sand packed by pressure of overlying layers of rocks.  Red stain usually from small amounts of hematite.  Used in curbing, building stone, and road construction.

No. 31 Argillaceous Sandstone:  Formed from sandy clay, and consolidated by pressure of overlying masses of rock.

No. 32 Argillaceous Shale:  Clayey mud, packed hard by overlying sediments.

No. 33 Shell Limestone:  Seashell fragments cemented together by recrystallized calcium carbonate, and consolidated by the pressure of overlying sediments.

No. 34 Dolomitic Limestone:  A calcium carbonate (calcite) with magnesium carbonate (dolomite).  Used for railroad ballast, filter beds, and in the building industry.

No 35 Bituminous Coal:  Compressed, decayed vegetable matter.  Used as a fuel.

METAMORPHIC ROCKS:  Rocks changed through the action of heat, pressure, and/or loss of chemical components.

No. 36 Gneiss:  Made from igneous or sedimentary rocks.  Quartz, orthoclase feldspar, and biotite generally present.  Usually more feldspar in gneiss than in schist.

No. 37 Mica-Schist:  Formed from feldspathic gravel or sandstone, and composed of biotite, muscovite, quartz, and orthoclase feldspar.  More foliated in structure than a gneiss.

No. 38 Quartzite:  Siliceous sandstone recrystallized by pressure and heat.

No. 39 Slate:  Shale metamorphosed by pressure.

No. 40 White Marble:  Pure limestone crystallized by pressure and heat.  Used extensively in the building industry.