James Madison University
James Madison University: Dept. Of Geology and Environmental Science: Minerals
Descriptions and pictures of over thirty minerals are available at this website. Documents describing the properties of minerals and how to use the properties for identification templates to make models, and dichotomous keys make up the...
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Mineral Galleriy: What Is Luster?
Mineral Galleries provides not only a definition of luster, but also a list of common terms used to describe this mineral property.
Other
4th of July Fireworks Depend Upon Minerals
Have you ever wondered what gives fireworks different colors? Here is a short page explaining the connection between the minerals used in fireworks and the colors of the explosions.
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Mineral Gallery: The Mineral Hornblende
Beginning with a list of physical characteristics, this resource explains hornblende is actually a series of minerals such as Magnesio-hornblende, Ferrohornblende, and Alumino-ferro-hornblende.
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Physical Characteristics of Minerals
The properties of minerals are defined in this resource, such as color, luster, cleavage, hardness, streak, and more. Included are pictures of minerals along with detailed descriptions. You can also search for minerals by name, class, or...
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Mineral Gallery: The Color of Minerals
This resource provides information about the color of minerals.
Other
Mineralogical Society of America: Mineral Groups
Investigate the seven different groups of minerals. In-depth information is provided on the chemistry of members of each mineral group. Pictures of different minerals are also provided.
![Indiana University Bloomington: Mohs Hardness Scale [Pdf] Graphic](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Indiana University Bloomington: Mohs Hardness Scale [Pdf] Graphic")
Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington: Mohs Hardness Scale [Pdf]
A chart of Mohs hardness scale with pictures of minerals at each level of hardness.
San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum: Mineral Matters: Color
Don't be fooled! While color is one way to identify a mineral, it can often be misleading. Quartz is one example of a mineral that can change colors depending on its chemical make-up.
San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum: Mineral Matters: Luster
A brief introduction to identifying a mineral by its luster. Examples of terms used to describe luster, such as metallic, glassy, and dull are listed.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Hornblende
Wikipedia offers a description of the mineral Hornblende including specific gravity, hardness, and image.
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Mineral Gallery: What Is Streak?
Streak is the color of the powder of a mineral. This page discusses the importance of streak when identifying minerals.
Amethyst Galleries
Amethyst Galleries: Mineral Gallery: Minerals by Class
This is a detailed reference list of minerals and mineral classes.