The crystal construction of minerals that makes them so aesthetically pleasing additionally makes them scientifically fascinating.
Wulfenite varieties in hydrothermal lead deposits and is the official state mineral of Arizona. Credit score: Dave Eicher
Minerals aren’t any atypical rocks: They’re compounds which have an orderly, crystal construction. Collectors of minerals and gems prize them not just for their aesthetic magnificence and worth, but in addition for his or her scientific magnificence. And, as Dave explains, as a result of chemistry is uniform all through the universe, the identical minerals we discover on Earth might also exist on numerous different planets all through the universe. So the subsequent time you maintain a placing mineral, simply assume: You’re holding one thing that’s similar to a bit of one other world.
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