Sulfides, Oxides, Hydroxides etc
This mineral is the main ore of lead, and is commonly found in hydrothermal veins with pyrite, marcasite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite. It's chemical formula is PbS.
What is Galena?
This is a soft, pearly mineral with perfect cleavage along one plane. It typically occurs as a sedimentary rock in layers as a evaporite deposit and it associated with halite and anhydrite. Its chemical formula is CaSO4 2H2O.
What is Gypsum?
This mineral occurs as an igneous and metamorphic accessory mineral, and is very important in U-Pb dating in geochronology. Grains are usually small. Its chemical formula is ZnSiO4.
What is Zircon?
This mineral occurs in felsic-intermediate igneous rocks, schists and gneiss. It is black and forms in thin sheets, and it can alter to chlorite, vermiculite, and Fe-Oxides. Its chemical formula is K(Fe,Mg)3AlSi3O10(OH)2.
What is Biotite?
This mineral is found as a granitic accessory, pegmatite mineral, greisen mineralization, and in some metamorphic rocks. They form as elongate crystals with "inflated triangle" cross sections with striations parallel to the long axis. Its chemical formula is NaFe3Al6[Si6O18](BO3)3(O,OH,F)4.
What is Tourmaline?
This mineral is commonly found as a weathering product of iron-bearing minerals in an oxidized environment. It is characterized by its yellow-brown streak.
What is goethite?
This mineral is typically found as a secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of zinc ore deposits, often as botryoidal masses or earthy, massive clusters. Its chemical formula is ZnCO3.
What is Smithsonite?
This mineral typically occurs in Ca-Mg rich rocks such as marbles and skarns and ranges from light to dark green in color. Its chemical formula is CaMgSi2O6.
What is Diopside?
This mineral is nicknamed "soapstone" due to its luster and slippery feel. It has a hardness of 1 and can be micaceous, fibrous, compact, and massive. It occurs in alteration of Mg-rich ultramafic rocks or Mg silicates in mafic rocks, or from alteration of dolostones. Its chemical formula is Mg3Si4O10(OH)2.
What is Talc?
This mineral has a lot of varieties and occurs in a wide range of geologic environments including granite, granodiorite, hydrothermal veins and pegmatites. Its chemical formula is SiO2.
What is Quartz?
This metallic mineral is a secondary copper sulfide with a deep indigo blue color, and is found as thin, flaky plates or masses. Its hardness is 1.5-2.5 and its chemical formula is CuS.
What is Covellite?
This mineral occurs in a variety of environments including marine sediment deposits, high temperature veins, and residual deposits (common in GA). It has a high specific gravity, and its chemical formula is BaSO4.
What is Barite?
This mineral typically occurs in high F granites and rhyolites, greisen and high-T hydrothermal veins (Sn, W, Mo associations). Its chemical formula is Al2SiO4(F,OH)2.
What is Topaz?
This is the most important mineral product in Georgia. It is soft and earthy, and forms as a microscopic plates cluster into masses. Its chemical formula is Al2SiO2O5(OH)4.
What is Kaolinite?
This mineral occurs in pegmatites as "gem pockets" and in high-T veins or skarns. They form as hexagonal prisms with basal pinacoid termination. Its chemical formula is Be3Al2(Si6O18).
What is Beryl?
This is a naturally occurring mineral known for its hardness of 9, high density and vitreous luster. Its chemical formula is Al2O3.
What is Corundum?
This is an accessory mineral in igneous rocks; it is a major mineral in phosphorites as collophane and in marine sedimentary deposits. Its chemical formula is Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH).
What is Apatite?
This monoclinic mineral occurs in high P/T metamorphic rocks (blueschist facies), often in areas that were once subduction zones, and it is characterized by its blue-gray color. Its chemical formula is Na2Mg3Al2Si8O22(OH)2.
What is Glaucophane?
This mineral occurs in granitic pegmatites in association with spodumene, amblygonite, and tourmaline. Its habit can be from scaly to granular masses, and is typically lilac, pink, purple, rose, and yellow-green. Its chemical formula is K(Li,Al)3(Si,Al)4O10(F,OH)2.
What is Lepidolite?
This Ca-rich mineral is light in color and is found in basic igneous rocks and contact metamorphosed limestone. It is rare on earth, but abundant on the moon. Its chemical formula is CaAl₂Si₂O₈.
What is Anorthite?
This metallic mineral is primarily found in hydrothermal veins. It generally has a tetrahedral crystal habit in finely crystalline aggregates, but can also be massive. Its chemical formula is CuFeS2.
What is Chalcopyrite?
This mineral occurs in Hi-T hydrothermal veins, skarn deposits, granitic pegmatites and greisens. It is a tungsten ore mineral and is characterized by its fluorescence under shortwave UV light. Its chemical formula is CaWO4.
What is Scheelite?
This mineral (series) belongs to the monoclinic crystal system occurs in low-grade rocks that have undergone contact or regional metamorphism. It can have a fibrous, bladed, and acicular habit as well as asbestos form. In this series, color ranges from light to dark as iron content increases. The chemical formulas are Ca2(Mg)5(OH)2Si8O22 and Ca2(Mg, Fe)5(OH)2Si8O22.
What is Tremolite-Actinolite?
This mineral forms during low grades of metamorphism and hydrothermal activity. It is often mistaken for olivine due to its color, but it can be differentiated by its occurrence, cleavage and habit. Its habit can be fibrous, prismatic, acicular, or massive. The chemical formula is Ca2(Al,Fe)3Si3O12(OH).
What is Epidote?
This monoclinic mineral occurs as phenocrysts in felsic volcanic rocks. It has a disordered structure due to random siting of Al in tetrahedral sites. Its chemical formula is (K,Na)AlSi3O8.
What is Sanidine?