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May Birthstone:
EMERALD
Emerald is a green form of the mineral beryl. Emerald is a hard gemstone that has a glassy luster (shine) and is either translucent or transparent. The elements chromium and vanadium give emerald its green color. Emeralds are one of the most rare and prized gemstones and can be worth more than diamonds if they are pure.
Mineral trivia: Do you remember the pale blue variety of the mineral beryl that is the birthstone for March?
Answer: Aquamarine
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Mays's Featured Item:
ROCK KIT STORAGE BAG
Mini Me Geology is proud to introduce our new Rock Kit Storage Bag. These bags were designed specifically for our series of My Rockin' Collection rock and mineral kits. The bags hold up to four (4) kits and are designed as a backpack style for young children. Our rock kit storage bags are made of durable 100% nylon and easily wipe clean with a damp cloth. Made exclusively for Mini Me Geology in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Click here to get your Rock Kit Storage Bag today!
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May's Word Find Puzzle
Did you know that Mini Me Geology offers free word find puzzles and cross-word puzzles?
Just click here and print your favorite puzzles! We will post a new puzzle each month. In celebration of our salt crystal growing experiment, this month's puzzle is all about crystals.
Grab a crayon and see if you can find all of the words. | |
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Hello Kids & Parents! ,
Welcome to The Rockland Gazette! Each month we provide you with feautures about rocks and minerals and geology fun. We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter!
Sincerely,
The Mini Me Geology Team! |
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QUARTZ
Quartz is the most common mineral found in the Earth's crust. Fairly hard, quartz is a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale which has a range from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). Quartz, which is sometimes called "Rock Crystal," is often colorless and has a glassy (shiny) appearance. Quartz has a white streak when rubbed on a streak plate; however, due to its hardness, the streak is often hard to see unless you press very hard on the plate. 
Well formed crystals of the mineral are often found in clusters, which is also called 'druse,' and commonly form in geodes and in veins and show a single point at one end. When a quartz crystal shows points on both ends it is often called a Herkimer Diamond. These crystals are somewhat rare because in order to form with these double points, the quartz must have very little contact with the surrounding rock while the crystal is being formed. The term Herkimer Diamond can only truly be used with samples found in Herkimer County, New York, although double point quartz crystals have been found in other locations throughout the world.
Quartz is a major component of most of the Earth's rocks and is found in many varities of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. In addition to the colorless, Rock Crystal form, Quartz comes in many varieties such as amethyst (purple), citrine (brown), rose quartz (pink), milky quartz (white), smoky quartz (gray), chert and agate (many colors but very small crystals) to name just a few. The mineral quartz is commonly used in technology such as televisions, watches and clocks. |
Kids' Experiment: Grow Salt Crystals Hey Kids! Try this fun experiment to learn  more about growing mineral crystals. You will need:
ó Clean Jar
ó String
ó Scissors
ó Tape (optional)
ó Pencil
ó 1-2 Cups boiling water (get your parents help)
ó 1-2 Cups table salt
ó Notebook
ó Camera (optional)
Step 1: Boil the water and then transfer it to your clean jar.
Step 2: Pour in enough salt to saturate the  water. Stir until all of the salt that can dissolve is dissolved. If you see salt crystals in the bottom of your jar that will not dissolve then you have probably saturated your water and are ready for Step 3.
Step 3: Tie a piece of string to a pencil and hang the string in the water. Rest the pencil across the top of your jar and tape it in place if necessary. Make sure that the string does not touch any of the salt at the bottom of the jar.
Step 4: Leave the string in place over night.
Observe:
The next day, take the string out of the jar and observe if salt crystals have formed on the string. Salt crystals may take some time to get large so if you want to grow large crystals, replace the salt water solution daily. Don't forget to document your experiment. We would love to see photos of your crystals. You are now a true Mini Me Geologist!
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MINERAL OR ROCK?
Minerals are unique chemical substances which are homogeneous (the same) throughout the  sample. Minerals can be found as single crystals or clusters of many crystals. Rocks are a group of minerals that are found together. The type of rock is determined by the type of minerals that are formed together along with the place where the formation occurs, such as deep in the Earth's crust or near the surface. For example, quartz, feldspar and mica are individual minerals, but when they are found together in a rock that formed underground, it is often called granite.
Some minerals are very common and some are rare. However, even the most common minerals can have unique and rare forms. Some minerals are useful in the production of industrial materials such as gypsum in cement, mica in paints and coatings, feldspar in ceramics, and quartz in watches and other electronics. Other minerals are used for jewelry and are considered precious (diamond, emeralds, and ruby) or semi-precious (citrine, garnet, and peridot) gemstones based on how easy they are to find. | |
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