Mineral Of The Day

Mineral Of The Day #119: Gold

Mohs Hardness Scale: 2.5
Category: Native element

Formula: _Au

Fun Facts:

• Spinning straw into gold for three consecutive nights makes a woman eligible to marry a king.
• There is a pot of it at the end of every rainbow.
• Everything that King Midas touched turned to gold.
• Alchemy is the process by which copper and other base metals are turned to gold by way of an elixir.
• Medically, gold is used in dentistry, and it makes an attractive gold tooth.

APRIL FOOLS!

Mineral Of The Day #119: Pyrite

Mohs Hardness Scale: 6-6.5
Category: Sulfide mineral

Formula: FeS₂

Fun Facts:

• Pyrite is also known as “Fool’s Gold” because of its resemblance to gold.
• It is the most common sulfide mineral.
• It was used in the 16th and 17th centuries as a source of ignition in early firearms.
• Commercially, it is used for the production of sulfur dioxide, which is used in the paper industry.
• Pyrite is also used to make marcasite jewelry.