Facts about Minerals
- 09
Olivine crystals found in Earth's mantle comprise approximately 70 percent of the planet's interior composition, making this iron-magnesium silicate mineral more abundant than all surface minerals combined.
- 08
Lapis lazuli's deep blue color comes from lazurite, a mineral containing sulfur that was ground into ultramarine pigment worth more than gold during the Renaissance, costing artists approximately 10 times the price of charcoal per ounce.
- 07
Fluorite crystals fluoresce under ultraviolet light, a phenomenon so distinctive that the mineral gives its name to fluorescence itself, discovered scientifically in the 1800s.
- 06
Feldspar minerals comprise approximately 60 percent of Earth's continental crust by mass, making them the most abundant mineral group in the planet's solid outer layer.
- 05
Calcite minerals exhibit birefringence so pronounced that Iceland spar, a transparent variety, can split a single light beam into two distinct rays visible to the naked eye.
- 04
Magnetite crystals containing iron oxide can align with Earth's magnetic field, allowing certain bacteria to navigate using these mineral-based biological compasses.
- 03
Pure quartz crystals can reach piezoelectric voltage outputs of approximately 12,500 volts per square inch when compressed, making them essential components in electronic devices since their discovery in 1880.
- 02
Halite crystals can grow to over 10 meters in diameter within the ancient salt deposits of the Dead Sea region, making them among the largest mineral formations on Earth.
- 01
The hardest known mineral, diamond, rates 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, while corundum ranks 9, making diamond nearly twice as hard.