Did you know that
minerals are all around us?
Minerals are
the building blocks
that make up rocks.
They are the ores
that we extract
metals and rare elements
from to make electronics.
They're even in the soils
that we need
to grow
the plants that we eat for food.
They're in our jewelry.
They're even in glitter
used for makeup.
Hi, my name is Gabriela.
I'm a scientist
who studies minerals,
a mineralogist
here at the National Museum
of Natural History.
You know,
we have a lot in common.
You know how
to make observations
and find patterns
in the world around you.
That's the work of a scientist.
Right now,
I'm standing in front
of a mineral specimen
from our National Gem
and Mineral Collection.
This is the Berns Quartz.
Let's figure out what
makes quartz a mineral.
What is a mineral?
Let's make a checklist.
First, a mineral is a solid.
In other words,
a mineral cannot be a liquid
or a gas.
See, this quartz
crystal is solid.
Second, a mineral is made up
of consistent ingredients
called atoms.
In the case of quartz,
quartz is made up of two kinds
of atoms called silicon
and oxygen.
Third on our checklist,
a mineral has to be a crystal.
A crystal is made
when trillions of atoms
come together
in a repeating,
precise arrangement.
In the case of quartz,
the atoms come together
like this.
Fourth, a mineral
has to be naturally occurring,
which means that it's
made by the Earth
and found outside.
It cannot be something
that is only made
in a laboratory.
For example,
the Berns Quartz was dug
out of a mine in Arkansas.
Finally, number
five on our checklist.
Minerals are inorganic,
which means that they are
formed by the Earth
through geological processes.
Minerals are not organic,
which means that they are
not formed by plants
or animals.
Here I’ve assembled
some examples
of different minerals.
Note how
they all have different
crystal shapes,
they come in different colors
And amazingly, they are formed
naturally by the Earth.
They were all discovered
in mines
from all around the world.
However,
there is one example here
that's not a mineral.
Let's figure out why.
This is amber.
It's fossilized tree sap,
which means
that it's made by a plant.
And so it can't be a mineral.
Now it's your turn to be
a mineralogist.
Let's go through our checklist.
First,
all of these mineral
specimens are solids.
Second, all of
these minerals
are made up
of consistent ingredients.
For example,
this pyrite is made up of atoms
called iron and sulfur.
This is only made up of sulfur.
Now, it's
those chemical ingredients
that give
these minerals
their different colors.
Third,
all of these
minerals are crystals.
Look at how they all have
different crystal shapes,
different crystal structures.
For example,
this pyrite
is a cubic structure.
It looks like a cube,
whereas this beryl has
a hexagonal structure.
It makes a hexagon.
Fourth,
these minerals were all made
by the Earth, naturally.
they were discovered in mines
from around the world,
like from Spain.
This is from the United States.
And this is from Peru.
Finally, number five,
all of these minerals
are inorganic.
You did a
great job, mineralogists.
Remember, apart from sunlight,
and the air we breathe,
almost everything
that we interact with
in our daily lives
involves minerals in some way.
Now that you know
how to identify minerals,
I hope that you start
to notice them in the world
around you, just like me.