home

= __my rocks__ = = __my minerals!!!!!!!!!!!!!__ = = __a mineral is a pure naturally occuring non-living solid here are my minerals.__ = = = = __Quartz__­- = = = = fact 1. Quartz is an igneous rock made out of molecules of silicon and oxygen atoms held together in a crystal pattern. All of the silica and oxygen that make quartz came originally from the insides of stars, and it shot out of the stars when the stars exploded as supernovas. Then the silica formed part of a nebula, a dust cloud floating in space = === Quartz is a hard substance and can transmit ultraviolet light, unlike glass. It does not split easily and is piezoelectric. This means it vibrates a bit when an electric current passes through it. When it is put under pressure, quartz can generate a small electric charge by itself. Apart from quartz gems and jewellery, it is commonly used in the industrial world for various purposes, such as for making special lenses, prisms and quartz-glass tubes for lamps. Quartz is also used in the manufacturing of the tubes, crucibles and glass (which is one of the apparatus used for conducting precise laboratory experiments) which are used in a laboratory. Quartz has diverse applications such as its use in an ordinary glass-manufacturing factory for making glass, as a material used in the construction business and in the foundry industry for making moulds. It is also used as a filter for some liquids, in the manufacturing of sandpaper and whetstones, in the scouring of powders, in sandblasting. ===

= Quartz digital watches are known the world over for their precision. Switzerland is one of the biggest production centres for quartz watches, and some of the top brands of quartz timepieces are Swiss creations. It is used in making certain components that are part of radio sets, television sets and radar equipment. = __Pyrite__. Pyrite is know as Fool's Gold because it fools people into thinking it is gold. One interesting fact is that pyrite gives off a spark when struck with a hard object. Pyrite crystals have many different shapes or structures. black streak metallic, golden-yellow, brassy brittle - unlike gold __Jasper__. Prehistoric people made arrowheads and tools from jasper and other related minerals. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed it could heal many illnesses and draw the poison from snakebites. __Calcite__. Pure calcite is transparent or white, but a variety of impurities can give this mineral certain colors. Nickel impurities produce green calcite; manganese, pink calcite; and iron, brown calcite. Because of its softness, calcite serves as a scratch less scouring ingredient in some cleaning powders.