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List of minerals and 3 kinds of rocks

Minerals
Gold and silver
Graphite and diamond
Sulfur and pyrite
Chalcopyrite (copper pyrites)and Galena
Sphalerite and arsenopyrite (mispickel)
Magnetite and hematite
Corundum, sapphire, ruby
Goethite and pyrolusite
Halite (rock salt) and fluorite (fluorspur)
Calcite
Malachite and smithsonite
Barite and gypsum
Apatite and turquoise
Garnet and tourmaline
Olivine and serpentine
Beryl, emerald, aquamarine
Augite and Hornblende
Mica and Talc
Quartz: milky quartz, rock crystal, amethyst, smoky quartz, citrine
Chalcedony: carnelian, sard
Agate and opal
Feldspars: orthoclase, plagioclase

Sedimentary Rocks
Conglomerate and breccia
Sandstone
Siltstone, mudstone, shale
Limestone
Calk and oolite
Stalactities, travertine, tufa
Flint and pyrite nodules

Igneous Rocks
Granite and pegmatite
Gabbro and serpentinite
Obsidian and  pumice
Rhyolite and basalt
Tuff and agglomerate

Metamorphic Rocks
Marble and quartzite
Slate and phyllite
Mica schist, garnet schist
Amphibolite and gneiss


Rock and Mineral Hunt Worksheet

Students and parents compare written description of rocks and minerals below with
samples displayed around the room.  You can check to see if you have found the correct
rock by looking at the name of the rock or mineral on the card near the rock.  Remember
to turn the card upside-down again after you look at it so the other students can guess,
too.

Can You Find...?

Can you find a rock that has bands or circles?  The bands may be milky white, green,
brown, red or black.  The rock can also have color added to it like blue.  This rock is an
agate.


Another kind of agate has straight bands instead of circular ones.  This is called onyx.  
Onyx is used to make cameos, often carvings of women.  The stone is cut at different
levels to show the different colors in the bands.


Can you find a rock that looks translucent or shimmers?  The colors in this stone dance
together.  Usually you see blue red or yellow as you move the stone.  This stone is called
opal and is very popular for jewelry.


Can you find a rock that is six-sided?  This rock can be many different colors.  The clear
kind is called rock crystal.  It is a kind of quartz. Sometimes it is mistaken for diamonds.  
Rock crystal is used in spectacles (glasses) and lenses (like in telescopes).


Can you find a rock that is six-sided?  This rock can be many different colors.  The purple
kind is called amethyst.  It is a kind of quartz, too.   The purple color can be a deep purple
or very pale.  This stone is often used to make jewelry.


Can you find a rock that is white?  You may be able to see layers in the rock.  This rock is
called marble.  It is made of metamorphosed limestone.  It is used to make statues
because it is soft for a rock.  You can scratch it with a knife.


Can you find a rock that has the shape of wheel in it?  This is called an ammonite.  It is a
fossil of a sea creature that is now extinct (like dinosaurs).  As the animals got bigger a
new larger compartment would grow for it to move into so the inner part is smaller and the
outer part of the wheel has larger compartments.


Can you find a rock that looks like many tiny little cells?  It is fossilized coral, called
petoskey and found around Lake Michigan in the USA.


Can you find a stone that is clear and colored yellow or amber.  This stone has small
fossilized insects inside it.  The insects were covered with sap from trees and fossilized
covered in sap.  This stone is called amber.


Can you find a stone that is blue or light green?  This is turquoise.  Turquoise is made of
copper, aluminum and phosphorus.  The copper causes the blue to green color in
turquoise.  Turquoise is found in hot dry places like a desert.  It is used for jewelry by
some North American Indian tribes.

Can you find a rock that glitters like gold?  This isn’t gold, although it looks like it.  That’s
why it is sometimes called fool’s gold.  It’s other name is copper pyrite.


Can you find a rock that is yellowish green?  This rock is found near volcanoes and
around hot springs.  This rock burns very easily and if heated it can melt.  It has a very
bad smell when it burns.  This rock is called sulfur.  (It is also spelled sulphur.)


Can you find a stone that is a transparent dark or light green color? This stone is made of
silicon, oxygen, aluminum and beryllium.  This stone is called beryl.  One kind of beryl is
emerald.  Emerald is very popular for jewelry.


Can you find a rock that is spotted?  The different colors may include white, gray, and
pink.  This rock is spotted because it is made up of many different minerals.  The main
minerals are feldspar, quartz and mica.  This rock is called granite.


Can you find a rock that is so light it can float?  This is called pumice or lava rock.  The
rock is full of small holes or air cavities.  Gas is trapped inside the rock allowing it to float
in water.

Congratulations you have learned the name of many rocks and minerals today.



Name cards for rocks and minerals in Rock and Mineral Worksheet Hunt:

Can You Find…?

Granite  
Amber
Sulfur or Sulphur  Emerald
Copper pyrite
Fool’s gold
Turquoise
Ammonite
Petoskey
Agate  Onyx
Agate
Quartz  rock crystal
Quartz  amethyst
Opal
Pumice