This collection of lessons and activities emphasizes the significance of our natural resources. Included are both student and teacher pages, background sheets, and video and reading lists. The activities are suitable for individual, group or full class presentations. Full description.

This archive provides descriptions and photos of the several types of sedimentary rocks. A definition of sedimentary rocks and overview of the basic classification is provided. Links to additional examples of chemical and clastic rocks are also included. Full description.

This database includes the crystal structure for every mineral published in the American Mineralogist, The Canadian Mineralogist, European Journal of Mineralogy and Physics, and Chemistry of Minerals. Data is now being imported from Acta Crystallographica as well. The database is maintained under the care of the Mineralogical Society of America and the Mineralogical Association of Canada. The data ... Full description.

This activity gives students practice and a chance to develop expertise in using the test for hardness in identifying common minerals. Following a discussion and an introduction to Moh's scale, the students will work in groups to test minerals whose identities are known against their standards (common substances whose hardnesses are known). Once the known minerals have been tested, the students can ... 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.

Mineral resources are discussed as a non-renewable resource focusing primarily on copper, gold and silver. Topics include formation of minerals, steps in discovering and mining mineral deposits, processing minerals, mining and the environment, longtime future for scarce minerals, mineral conservation, and a bibliography. Full description.

This web site provides photos of fluorescent minerals photographed under long wave (LW) or short wave (SW) ultraviolet light. Links to additional resources, and a list of books and information sources are also included. Full description.

This is a collection of images of the common rock-forming minerals. Along with the image, the physical and chemical properties of each mineral are listed. These include: metallic or nonmetallic luster, light or dark color, chemical formula, mineral group, cleavage, general color, hardness, and other characteristics. Full description.

This activity is designed to demystify rock identification by illustrating how most common rocks can easily be classified and named by asking and answering simple scientific questions. Students will discover that the formation of rocks occurs by processes that take place over different timescales, and that the mode of formation determines their texture and the minerals they contain. Students will ... Full description.

This table summarizes the 32 crystal classes by crystal system and class name, including symmetry elements. Clicking on each system or class heading provides information on each class within the system, including axes of rotation, symmetry planes, center, and Hermann-Maugin symbols. There is also an illustration, paper models that can be downloaded, printed and assembled, animated pop-ups that show ... Full description.