ROCKS AND MINERALS

FACTS ABOUT ROCKS & MINERALS• Did you know that the Earth is approximately 4.8 billion

years old and rocks and minerals are produced by earth as geological reactions (metamorphism)over million of years?

• Did you know that meteorites are rocks from space that help scientists to learn about the our solar system?

• Did you know that the first geologist on the moon was Harrison Schmitt who was part of the Apollo 17 mission?

– From the rock samples he collected, scientists have been able to learn many things about the moon.

• Did you know that quartz is one of the most common minerals on Earth?

FACTS ABOUT ROCKS & MINERALS• Did you know that marble forms from metamorphosed

carbonate rock, most usually limestone?

• Did you know the first recorded use of turquoise dates back to 5000 BC in Mesopotamia, where people used the gemstone to make beads?

• Did you know that gold is so soft and easily worked that you could roll an ounce of it into a hair-thin wire 50 miles long?

– Did you know that the biggest pure-gold nugget weighed 156 pounds was discovered buried just inches below the surface in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia on February 5th, 1869.

• Did you know that the “Taj Mahal” in India was built between 1632 and 1654 and is entirely made out of marble?

FACTS ABOUT ROCKS & MINERALS• Did you know that platinum is so rare that two million pounds of

ore may contain only one pound of metal? That is the reason why Platinum is more costly than gold!

• The Koh-i Nur which means "Mountain of Light" in Persian, also spelled Kohinoor, is a 105 carat (21.6 g) diamond that was once the largest known diamond in the world.

– The Kohinoor originated at Kollur, Guntur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.

– It has belonged to various Hindu, Mughal, Persian, Afghan, Sikh and British rulers who fought bitterly over it at various points in Indian sub-continuant's history and seized it as a spoil of war time and again.

– It was finally seized by the East India Company and became part of the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877.

LAPIS LAZULI• Did you know that Lapis Lazuli is treasured for its

rich blue color and is often used in jewelry?

– Ancient Egyptians used powdered lapis lazuli as eye shadow.

JADE• Did you know that Jade is one of the toughest

mineral and hence it is used in many cultural for hammers, fish hooks, and stone axes.

GEODES• Did you know that geodes are dull balls of igneous or

sedimentary rock on the outside, but contain beautiful crystals on the inside?

– Geodes are typically rounded rocks with cavities (referred to as ‘vugs'), and have a lining of crystals pointing inward.

– Because the crystals form inside the geode, they are often protected and form perfect crystals.

FELDSPAR & QUARTZ • Feldspar is the most common mineral and quartz

comes in second, especially when you consider the whole earth crust (continental plus oceanic crust).

– Feldspars (KAlSi3O8 - NaAlSi3O8 - CaAl2Si2O8) is a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust.

• The second most common mineral of the Earth's is quartz.

– Nearly all the sand in sandstone, in the deserts of the world and on its riverbeds and beaches is quartz.

COPPER• It is believed the Egyptians (as early as 3900 B.C.E.) were the first people

to create bronze, a mixture of copper and tin. This marked the beginning of the Bronze Age.

• Copper is a chemical element and it is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable, and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color.

• It is used as a thermal conductor, electric cables and wires, switches, plumbing, heating, roofing and building construction, chemical and pharmaceutical machinery, alloys, utensils, etc.

• The leading producer is Chile, followed by the U.S., and Indonesia.

ALUMINUM• Aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the

boron group of chemical elements and it is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, and the third most abundant element therein, after oxygen and silicon.

– Aluminum is too reactive chemically to occur in nature as a free metal. Instead, it is found combined in over 270 different minerals. The chief source of aluminum is bauxite ore.

– Advantages of Aluminum is that it not soluble in water under normal circumstances. It is remarkable for the metal's low density and for its ability to resist corrosion.

– Structural components made from aluminum and its alloys are vital to the aerospace industry and are very important in other areas of transportation and building.

HYPOTHESIS

•Why are minerals important to humans?

CONCLUSION• All nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, enzymes, amino acids,

carbohydrates, fats, sugars, oils, etc. require minerals for proper cellular function.

• All bodily processes depend upon the action and presence of minerals.

• Minerals are more important to nutrition than vitamins. Vitamins are required for every bodily biochemical process. However, vitamins cannot function unless minerals are present.

• Minerals are needed for healing. Tissue rebuilding occurs more readily when the body has access to the necessary minerals. This is why soaking in water quickly heals wounds, and why, traditionally, health spas are so popular.

• One of the reasons that women tend to be anemic is because of improper digestion of iron. Iron is present in every food we eat, according to the late nutritionist, “Adelle Davis”.

• We can safely conclude that the life on earth will not exist or continue without minerals!

SOURCES OF INFORMATION• http://www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/identification.html

• http://blog.nandugreen.com/archives/735

Q1. Who was the first astronaut cum geologist, to take

rock samples from the moon?

The first geologist/ astronaut who took rock samples from the moon

was Harrison Schmitt who was part of the Apollo 17 mission.

Q2. Lapis Lazuli was used by ancient Egyptians for?

Ancient Egyptians used powdered

lapis lazuli as eye shadow.

Q3. An ounce of Gold could be rolled

into how many miles long of thin

wire?

An ounce of Gold could be rolled into a hair-thin wire of

50 miles long.

Q4. What are the four most common uses of Aluminum?

Aluminum is used in common soft drinks cans, airplanes/cars, it is used

in house hold utensils and in structural components for construction industry.

Q5. The second most common mineral of the

Earth's is?

Quartz.