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From sea creatures to cityscapes, minerals are everywhere!

9 Minerals That Totally Rock

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<div class="rich-text">From sea creatures to cityscapes, minerals are everywhere.
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From sea creatures to cityscapes, minerals are everywhere.

<div class="rich-text">From sea creatures to cityscapes, minerals are everywhere.</div>

Planet Earth

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 9 Minerals That Totally Rock
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 Published July 19, 2017



 On Screen
 
 : These nine minerals aren’t just pretty, they can do amazing things!


 #1 Calcite


 Brittlestars have calcite crystals built into their skeletons. The crystals act as lenses and focus light onto nerve bundles to allow the animals to see.


 #2 Stibnite


 Stibnite was used to make kohl, an eye cosmetic worn by ancient Egyptians. They believed it could cure ailments.


 #3 Azurite


 Azurite was once a popular source of pigment in blue paint. Over time azurite oxidizes into its green cousin:


 #4 Malachite


 So the blue some Renaissance era paintings is now tinted green.


 #5 Fluorite


 Some fluorite is thermoluminescent, which means it glows when heated to certain temperatures.


 #6 Gold


 Astronaut visors are coated with a thin layer of gold. It doesn’t corrode and protects astronauts’ eyes from dangerous solar rays


 #7 Pyrite


 “Fools gold,” has been studied as a possible component in solar panels because it’s cheaper and more readily available than silicon.


 #8 Labradorite


 These spectacular colors come from a phenomenon called labradorescence. Rather than reflecting off the exterior, light bounces off surfaces inside the rock.


 #9 Goethite


 Aquatic snails called limpets have teeth laced with nanofibers of goethite. These teeth are so strong they could chew through a bulletproof vest.


 From sea creatures to cityscapes, amazing minerals are everywhere.
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