Gemstone Identification

Autumn Red

South Dakota's state gemstone

Black Obsidian

From volcanic lava. Used in early weapons

Cave Onyx

Formed in caves as water dissolves into crystals

Green Mica

Used in early circuit boards and windows

White Quartz

Makes up 12% of Earth's crust. Found on the moon

Green Quartz

Color comes from traces of iron

Gold Mica

Easily confused with gold. Used in makeup

Amphibolite

Harder than limestone & heavier than granite

Zebra Jasper

Color pattern re-semble zebra stripes

Red Mica

Often used in paint and makeup

Quartz & Tourmaline

Found near volcanoes. Can conduct electricity

Rose Quartz

Color can fade easily in sunlight

Amazonite

Named for Amazon river but rarely found there

Blue Apatite

Once used in fertilizer

Crocodile Jasper

Better called Kambaba Stone

Crystal Point

Used for divination in medieval times

Dalmation Jasper

Resembles dalmation dog

Green Jade

China's royal stone

Labradorite

Used to make glass and paint for potte

Serpentine

Texture of stone can feel like snake skin

Ocean Jasper

Mined at low tide off the Madagascar coast

Yellow Jasper

Used in the earliest Stone Age tools

Zebradorite

Zebra-like appearance

Natural Agate

Layers of Quartz

Smoky Quartz

Ranges in color from clear to opaque

sodalite

Called "poor man's" lapis

Aquamarine

Related to Emerald

Amethyst

Will lose all color in sunlight

Blue Quartz

Also called Dumortierite

Chrysoprase

Composed of crystals

Citrine Point

Related to Amethyst. Turns brown under X-rays

Emerald

Cleopatra's favorite gem

Pyrite

"Fool's gold"

Green Aventurine

Soft stone is easliy carved. Used in Fabergé eggs

Tiger Eye

Often used in Jewelry

Peacock Ore

Mostly copper, can conduct electricity

Emerald Calcite

Soft gemstone, blue-green to seafoam color

Red Jasper

The red comes from iron inclusions

Calcite

Often used in cement & antacids

Crazy Lace Agate

Found in Chihuahua Mexico

Orange Calcite

Found in Mexico and South America

Blue Calcite

Calcite can be many colors

Arrowheads

Used until 1850 when metal arrowheads became standard

Arabic Stone

Patterns in color look like Arabic writing

Bloodstone

"Warrior Stone"

Carnelian

Egyptians used in " jewelry for mummies

Fluorite

Genius Stone," glows under black light

Garnet

Named after the pomegranate seed

Moonstone

Composed of orthoclase & all

Moss Agate

Also called Mocha Stone

Rough Citrine

Can be formed by heating Amethyst

Ruby

Second-hardest stone to diamond

Tree Agate

Also called Dendritic Agate

Word Search

Minerals & Gems found in the USA:

In this word search are the names of minerals and gemstones found in the United States of America. The names can run left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, or diagonally.

Mineral names in this word search: Copper, Fluorite, Galena, Staurolite, Rhodochrosite, Tourmaline, Garnet, Gold, Silver, Pyrite, Halite, Benitoite, Neptunite, Wavellite, Quartz, Barite, Diamond, Mercury, Sulfur, Gypsum, Topaz, Kunzite, Rutile, Trona, Muscovite, Datolite, Calcite, Franklinite.

Horn Coral

Horn-shaped coral formed in shallow seas.

Orthoceras

Squid-like animals that lived in cone shells.

Offshore Coral

Formed in seas more than 100ft deep.

Oyster

Sea animals living in calcified shells.

Petrified Wood

Fallen trees that slowly turned into rocks.

Round Coral

Type of coral found near Morocco.

Sand Shark

Warm water sharks that hunted at night.

Sea Clam

Hinged shell burrowed in sand or mud.

Sea Urchin

Exoskeleton with five body segments.

Sea Urchin Spines

Long sharp spines were sometimes poisonous.

Shark Teeth

Carnivorous fish with cartilage skeleton.

Snail

First lived in oceans, then moved on land.

Sponge

Sea animal filtered food from the water.

Trilobite (U.S.)

First multi-celled animal to exist on Earth.

Trilobite (Morocco)

Exoskeleton in 3 parts.

Turritella

Fossilized rock composed of spiral shells.

Whale Bone

Giant prehistoric cousin to modern whale.

Woolly Mammoth Bone

Giant furry elephant.

Fossils

Fossils are the remains of plants or animals that have been found in the ground or under water. Some are fossilized fragments of the plants or animals. Others are imprints left in the ground, which have hardened over time. By looking closly at fossils, we can learn about these organisms, what the climate was like when they lived, and how the continents formed. When did each type of fossil first appear?

Amber

Dried resin obtained from the Sankara tree

Ammonite

Spiral-shaped sea animals, 1/2 in. to 6 ft. wide

Branch Coral

Not a plant, a colony of tiny sea animals

Blastoids

Sea animals related to starfish & sand dollar

Coprolite

"Dino Poop" gives clues to animal diets

Crinoid Stem

Often called "Sea Lily" though it was an animal

Devil’s Toenail

Type of oyster that burrowed in the sand

Dinosaur Bone

Coloring is determined by impurities in sediment

Fish Vertebra

The oldest type of vertebrae found

Coquina

Fossilized rock composed of shells

Fossil Limestone

Formed from fossils and sediment

Gastropod

Spiral mollusk shell fossil

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