This is the home page for the Mineralogy course at Middlebury College. An assignments section contains information on the physical properties of minerals, crystal symmetry, introduction to the Microscope, calcite experiment, uniaxial minerals, biaxial minerals, framework silicates, chain and ring silicates, scanning electron microscope, di and sheet silicates, ortho silicates, phase diagram calculation, ... Full description.

This web site is geared toward graduate students and other researchers wanting to grow crystals suitable for X-ray structure determinations. Numerous techniques of growing crystals are discussed and include: slow evaporation, slow cooling, variations on slow evaporation and slow cooling, vapor diffusion, solvent diffusion, reactant diffusion, sublimation, convection, co-crystallants, counterions, ... Full description.

This web site describes three mineral locations in the area of Anthony's Nose, a prominent highland east of the Hudson River in New York State. Two of the sites are over 150 years old and have been long forgotten. Yet surprisingly minerals may still be easily collected at these sites. Unfortunately there has been much confusion about the exact localities and mineral occurrences. This paper attempts ... Full description.

This web site provides the etymology of mineral and rock names, a list of the derivations of many of the common mineralogical and petrological terms. Two lists are provided, one in English, and one in German. Full description.

This page is specifically devoted to the aesthetic value of rocks and minerals, and only contains pictures. All of the photographs were taken by the author and most are high quality close-ups showing crystal structure and other features. There were about 25 topics, mostly minerals, at the time of this review including; Actinolite, Apatite, Aragonite, Beryl, Barite, Banded Iron Formation(BIF), Calcite, ... Full description.

Information and links for teaching rocks and minerals as a unit are provided on this website. The properties of minerals are discussed as well as a comparison of minerals and rocks. Links provide resources to discover more mineral information, deposit and gemstone explanations, and teaching resources. Full description.

This website is part of NOVA Online, which is produced for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) by the Science Unit at WGBH in Boston. This site is the companion to the television program, which discusses both historical and current information relating to pearls. Topics covered include diseases killing oysters in Japan, the pearl market, and the history of how the pearl became a precious gem. There ... Full description.

This website contains a set of lessons on mineral identification. Upon completing this exercise, the student will be able to identify many of the common minerals by using the following physical properties: color, streak, luster, cleavage/fracture, hardness, crystal shape, and specific gravity. Teachers will need sets of minerals and some tools for students to work with. Links are available for growing ... Full description.

This website contains a set of lessons on how to identify igneous rocks using their textures, minerals, and physical properties. The student, working with rock samples and tools supplied by the teacher, will be able to identify some igneous rocks and will be given access to more information on the rocks. Links are available for learning about well-known volcano localities and to more general information. ... Full description.

This website contains a set of exercises for identifying metamorphic rocks based on their textures and physical properties. The student works with specimens and tools supplied by the teacher. The website also has information on classifying metamorphic rocks and on metamorphism. Links are provided to other web sites of interest to learners of different levels. Several books are also recommended. Full description.