Minerals

Ages 7 to 14 years. Minerals are non-living natural materials and are the most common substances on Earth. Rocks are composed of combinations of minerals. Some minerals are easy to find such as silver, quartz, copper, and halite (salt). Others are rare and much harder to find such as diamonds. This intriguing new book takes a close-up look at minerals and their role in the formation of rocks. Topics include: the composition of different rocks and minerals; temperature and pressure create different kinds of minerals; how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are created; the rock cycle; the properties of minerals including lustre, colour, density, cleavage, hardness, streak; the eight elements that make up the different types of minerals; exploration and geology; mining for minerals; uses for minerals such as crystals, gems, silicon, uranium, and metals; the importance of minerals throughout history in the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the gold rushes.