There are over 5,000 known types of minerals. Just a few minerals make up most of the rocks we see, though: feldspars, amphiboles, quartz, olivine, garnet, micas, calcite, and pyroxenes.

A compound is a substance that contains two or more elements close elementA pure substance that is made from only one type of ... of sedimentary rock formation, some of the minerals in the ...

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to ...

Chalcedonies include many types of cryptocrystalline quartz gems ... are made of clusters or mixtures of minerals, and minerals and rocks affect landform development and form natural resources ...

Some minerals in rocks and organic matter (e.g., wood, bones, and shells) can contain radioactive isotopes. The abundances of parent and daughter isotopes in a sample can be measured and used to ...

There would be no bright and colorful fireworks without rocks and minerals. A firework is produced by launching a shell containing fuel and a color mix high into the air, where it explodes.

Some minerals in rocks and organic matter (e.g., wood, bones, and shells) can contain radioactive isotopes. The abundances of parent and daughter isotopes in a sample can be measured and used to ...

At CU Boulder, we use petrology to study the formation of volcanoes and their magmatic sources, the evolution of continental crust during the growth and destruction of mountain belts, the genesis of ...