World of Minerals

The earth is made up of rocks, which are composed of minerals. Minerals are important to geologists because they provide clues as to the conditions and history of our developing planet Earth, and they are important to society because of their practical uses.

Even though there are thousands of documented minerals, only 25 or 30 are common constituents of rocks. Most of these are collected in the Austin Community College “STANDARD MINERALS SET”, which are replicated at each of the campuses. Some of the best looking specimens selected from all the labs are represented in these photographs.

Your lab manual lists and describes the properties which are used to distinguish between minerals. For each mineral in the standard collection, its unlabeled photograph is displayed on one page, and its name and properties on the next. The intent is to provide a study aid, replicating "flash cards".