GO 336 Mineralogy

Earth Science Department Emporia State University

Susan Ward Aber
http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/amber/go336/present.htm

Book Review Presentations

Natural Gemstones
Jacob Bray 		Minerals in the 50 States
Anthony Farrar 		Beneath Our Feet
Kevin Faurot
At the Crossroads: The Mineral
Problems of the U.S.
Jerry Harvey 		American Strategic Minerals
Natalie Johnson 		Minerals of the World
Patrick Laird
Ur Potential in Permian and
Pennsylvanian Sandstones in OK
Erik Merhoff 		A Range Guide to Mines
and Minerals
Ali Nashatizadeh 		Before You Buy an
Engagement Ring
Shawn Salley
Kansas Rocks and Minerals
Dina Wingfield 		Minerals, Rocks, and Fossils: A Self-Teaching Guide
Elizabeth Wilson

Shawn Salley Presents:
Before You Buy an Engagement Ring
by
Nancy N. Schiffer

Once you decide to make that important step that most couples make, it is time to follow the precedent forced on us from the diamond industry: buying the engagement ring. Instead of going out blind and allowing the retailer to tell you what you need, a little back ground might be needed to help you get the most out of your purchase. Littered with pictures of rare to modern rings, this book presents classic ideas from different eras and provides a modernistic view. Before you Buy an Engagement Ring shows us the important steps that an average ring shopper should know about the gem, precious metal, and prices.

Looking deep into mining and diamond production, this book tracks a diamond or 'stone' from rock to finger in pretty good detail. Specifically, it talks about the shapes available of the gems and the faceting going into to cut the stone. Talking about flaws it gives the scales for interior impurities to the color ratio of clear to yellow from the Gemological Institute of America and the American Gemological Society. Also, because each gem has its own properties, including its cut, interior, weight, and size, it details how each diamond should have papers or "grading reports" telling its quality.

The setting is also important, as this book gives details to the popular metals used in the ring, specifically talking about: gold, silver, platinum, and brass. The author gives accurate tables showing the alloy comparison of the US marking system of gold to "other" ratio. A setting to which the gem attaches to the ring also comes in varieties.

After the ring is purchased there are certain procedures that the buyer needs to follow. A jeweler should always provide a written guarantee for the ring and gem. Of diamonds over a carat in weight, a certificate of authenticity should be obtained. If you are not trained to look at the diamond yourself to judge its quality, you should have an independent appraiser give you an objective opinion. This should be considered with the cost of the ring. Schiffer outlines how to clean, store, and live with the ring to allow it to "become a source of pleasure".

The four-step guide at the end of the book helps outline how to deal with the jeweler and to stay in control of the purchase. They outline what you should do before you go to the jewelry store, the first visit, a period of research, and finally the second visit. She says that this is a process that will allow the buyer to gain the most knowledge of the situation and to benefit from purchasing a ring that will be rewarding.

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Natalie Johnson Presents:
American Strategic Minerals

In the book American Strategic Minerals, the editor Gerald J. Mangone gives an overview of what they are, demands for them in the present as well as in the future, dependence of the nation upon them, alternative sources and many other aspects of strategic minerals. In 1946, the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act became law, its sole purpose was to provide a supply of certain materials through acquisition, conservation, and development of domestic sources in an attempt to limit the amount of foreign dependence on such products. The act states that a strategic mineral is one that would supply the military, industrial and essential civilian needs of the United States during a national emergency and are not found or produced in the United States in sufficient quantities to meet a need such as this (Mangone, 1984, p.30).

Chapter two within the book is entitled, America's Dependence on Strategic Minerals. The editor characterizes the twentieth century as the Strategic Minerals Age because the United States depends on many elements, metals, industrial mineral and agricultural products. The dependence the nation has on many of these products makes it vital to understand the quantity and extent to which they can be produced as well as imported (Mangone, 1984, p. 29). Several tables and graphs are shown in the chapter that give detailed analysis of exactly what minerals and metals are imported into the United States currently and what the projected amounts will be in the future. Some of these from the graphs were selected and an in depth written description of how the United States uses these material is given. One such substance is the mineral copper. Copper is listed as a strategic mineral because it is widely used throughout the nation for electrical means; it is used to make certain types of tubing, and to make brass. The editor then explains that the United States annually imports only a small amount of copper, approximately fifteen percent, but it is projected that in the future this amount will increase as demands increase (Mangone, 1984, p.53).

In the conclusion of the chapter, Mangone states that it is not projected that the United States dependence of strategic minerals will soon diminish. Reasons include that they just are not available within the U.S. borders and that it is not economically feasible to extract them from the Earth (Mangone, 1984, p.57). Hopefully in the future technology will advance and the United States will come up with ways to independently gain access to many of the resources.

References
Mangone, Gerald J. American strategic minerals. 1984 Crane, Russak and Company, Inc.

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Jerry Harvey Presents:
A Summary of
At the Crossroads: The Mineral Problems of the United States.

The book I chose to summarize is about minerals and mineral resources and the role that they play in the economies of the United States. Also, the problems of trying to get adequate supplies of minerals and mineral resources is covered.

In the past two hundred years we have moved from an agricultural to a high industrial economy. With the rise of industry, we have increased the need for more minerals. Since 1900 society has produced and consumed more minerals than all proceeding recorded history.

In the book, the author described how people mine minerals through open-pit and underground mines. More than eighty percent of minerals come from open-pit mining. In this type of mining, minerals close to the surface are dug up and transported to be refined. In underground mining there is a tunnel or shaft dug in the ground and workers travel into the Earth to gather minerals to be refined.

Once the minerals are mined most of them are gone forever. Therefore, the author suggested we should conserve minerals. We could use substitutions where one mineral is substituted for another. If the mineral replaced is scarcer than the substitute then there is a gain in terms of the availability of adequate supplies. Recycling is another way to help conserve minerals.

With increases in technology and industry we need to watch how we use our minerals and resources. What price should be paid for a highly developed society?

References
Cameron, Eugene. (1986). At the Crossroads The Mineral Problems of the United States. NY: John Wiley & Sons.

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Elizabeth Wilson Presents:
A Book Review of
Minerals, Rocks, and Fossils: A Self-Teaching Guide

Has not every child collected rocks? Has not every woman dreamed of wearing a diamond? And has not every individual discovered at least one fossil? Rocks, minerals, and fossils not only bond the likeness of human kind, but exhibit likeness in each other. For example, fossiliferous limestones are inclusive of a sedimentary rock, a mineral called calcite, and invertebrate fossils. This book serves as a guide for the amateur collector to identify, define, and examine the minerals, rocks, and fossils that have intrigued their lives.

Getting started is the first objective of a collector, unfortunately some collectors may not be sure of where or how. To the advantage of the amateur reading this work, Chapter 1 is titled "Getting Started". In this section, the reader can determine the type of equipment needed for the field, the dos and don'ts of collection, and where to go for information (Dietrich and Wicander, 2002). Furthermore, Chapter 1 provides a brief overview on how to clean and prepare the specimens, labeling and storing, and display options for their collection. Finally, the authors make recommendations for the collector to visit museums, and provide additional information on trading, buying, and selling (Dietrich and Wicander, 2002).

The next two chapters focus on familiarizing the reader with minerals and rocks. Beyond providing the reader with the mineral and rock definitions, how minerals and rocks are named and classified, the formation, occurrence, and identification is discussed. Of course, it would be unfair to the amateur mineral collector to leave out mineraloids, glasses, and macerals, which are briefly pointed out at the minerals chapters end. Regarding a rock collector, the end of this chapter briefly informs the reader on the occurrence of rocklike materials called pseudorocks.

Given I have an archaeological mind-set; fossils are my favorite, as was this chapter. The chapter begins with this quote, "fossils are useful in many ways" (Dietrich and Wicander, 2002). Immediately one's knowledge is enhanced in realizing fossils are not simply utilized for reconstructing history. The first three paragraphs points out the economic uses, such as coal, oil and gas, and building blocks used for the great pyramids of Egypt (Dietrich and Wicander, 2002)!

Like the mineral and rock chapters, one will again be familiarized with the definition of a fossil. The collector will learn how fossils are named and classified, how to identify a fossil, and their formation. Additionally, the reader will learn how fossils are preserved, their uses, where to find them, and what fossils can tell about the Earth's past.

The final sections of the book offer appendices of references which are helpful to the collector such as, topographic and geologic maps, mineral determinative tables, rock identification tables, geologic time, and divisions of the animal and plant world.

One important aspect in this book that enhances the learning experience of the reader is review questions. Every chapter contains a set of review questions for each section. If one is truly serious about learning the aspects of collecting, defining, and identifying minerals, rocks, and fossils, these review questions will certainly be a beneficiary factor. It is my recommendation that even if you don't answer all of the questions, at least read through them. Many are worded such that they are very thought provoking.

References

Dietrich, R.V., E.R. Wicander (1983). Minerals, rocks, and fossils: A self-teaching guide. NY: John Wiley and Sons.

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Patrick Laird Presents:
A Review of
Minerals of the World

I find Minerals of the World, by Walter Schumann (1992) to be a highly informative book on mineral identification. There are many points of interest at the beginning of the book that are quite helpful. Throughout the book, there are is information about each mineral as well. I strongly recommend this book for those wanting to collect or identify mineral specimens from around the world.

Schumann starts the book off by determining and explaining the points of identifying a mineral specimen. He explains not only the steps of identifying a mineral, but what each step means. The three physical properties he uses are streak, Mohs' hardness, and specific gravity. There are other mineral properties listed along with each mineral in case the three properties mentioned above fail to identify a certain mineral.

This book is organized by color of streak, making it easy to find a specimens general area. Opening the book up to any specimen on any page, you may find all the information you need to know about identifying a mineral. Take any specimen and there is a picture for it. If this fails in the aid of identifying a mineral, then look to the opposite page. There you will find all of the characteristics to help you identify a certain mineral ranging from the location of where you found the mineral, the characteristics of the mineral, the chemical symbol for each mineral and a diagram of how the crystals grow.

The most interesting feature of this book is that Schuman talks about the twinning growth of crystals. He explains the different kinds of twinning growth and gives illustrations of how certain mineral specimens twin. By associating what twinning growth is and how it forms, I find it helpful in identifying certain minerals as well.

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Ali Nashatizadeh Presents:

A Brief Report on Jay Ellis Ransom's
A Range Guide to Mines and Minerals

This first edition of A Range Guide to Mines and Minerals, written by Jay Ellis Ransom and published by the Harper & Row company in 1964, is a small yet information-filled book that, although a bit dated by today's standards, contains a wealth of information on mining and sample collecting. It is divided up into four parts, with each part divided into separate chapters. Part I has four chapters, the first of which is titled "Introduction to Mining and Mineralogy." The chapter provides just that; a concise (albeit somewhat disjointed) introduction to mineral science, with a heavy emphasis on the history of ore mining. Topics such as the evolution of mining and metallurgy from the time of the ancient Egyptians to the present, a concise history of mineralogy as a science (including a large portion of text detailing the scientific exploits of Bohemian physician Agricola), and generalized data regarding the composition of igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and mineral paragenesis are all presented.

Chapter 2, "Preparation for Mineral Collecting," begins with a discussion on the art and science of prospecting. Briefly addressing the common misconception that mineral hunters are all grizzled old donkey-riding fogies, the author goes on to list many useful recommendations for proper clothing, tools, and camping equipment essential for most sample collecting escapades. Also of note, is the information presented on technical mineral and mining reports and the different varieties of geologic maps.

Chapter 3, "Your Mineral Collection," is the book's shortest chapter, fitting in at just over ten pages. Procedures for trimming, cleaning, and varnishing mineral specimens are listed, as well as some examples and suggestions for how to label, organize, and arrange a mineral specimen collection.

Chapter 4, "Techniques of Prospecting for Profit," details different methods by which prospectors hunt for gold, with information on sampling for impurities, using gold pan and batea to prospect. The chapter mentions SCUBA diving as an effective method to prospect for gold, conjuring up an amusing mental image to say the least! Page 51 contains a useful diagram that compares various types of prospecting equipment.

Part II of this book is divided into two referential chapters: Chapter 5, "Mines and Minerals of America," and Chapter 6, "Ore and Mineral Essentials." Chapter 5 contains an exhaustive reference on mining operations in America on a per-state basis. I skimmed over most of it, but stopped on Kansas to find a glowing appraisal of the state's geologic heritage. "…as a mineral producing state, the relative importance of Kansas is seldom appreciated, even by its own citizens. Actually the mineral industry is second only to agriculture, and the state outranks most of the others except California and, in many respects, is far ahead of Alaska." The book then listed counties in Kansas that had active mines during the time this book was published, such as gypsum quarries around Comanche and Dickinson counties, halite mines in Harper county, and volcanic ash deposits in Gove, Jewell, and Meade counties. Part II, Chapter 6, "Ore and Mineral Essentials" contains an alphabetical list of commercial ores and secondary minerals found in America's mines along with chemical composition, crystal system, and outstanding properties such as luster or crystal habit.

The last two parts of the book, Part III and IV are by far the least interesting to the mineralogy student. Part III contains only one chapter, "The Making of a Small Mine" and contains a minimal amount of information on creating a mine itself, opting instead to give a variety of facts, figures, and legal procedures that have most probably changed considerably since the time this book was published. Part IV contains a glossary filled with definitions of interesting geological terms (many of which are not used in the book), as well as a bibliography and an index that aid in locating some of the reference materials contained within Part II.

All in all, I found A Range Guide to Mines and Minerals to be an interesting combination of technical data and natural language information, presented in an understandable yet sometimes disorganized fashion. I am not aware if any later editions of this book exist, but if such editions do exist, they most probably address the book's organizational problems. All in all, the information contained with the Range Guide is useful as a reference guide and as an introduction to mining history.

References

Ransom, J. E. (1964). A range guide to mines and minerals. NY: Harper & Row Publishing Co.

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Dina Wingfield Presents:
Kansas Rocks and Minerals

Prologue

Becky paced the floor back and forth, back and forth. She chewed on her fingernails while biting her lips and waited to hear the knock at her door. Her boyfriend, Ricky, had been gone all weekend and she was terribly worried as to his whereabouts. He had told her he was heading for Southeastern Kansas; something about a dying aunt and a rabid dog, she didn't quite remember. The suspicion filled her mind and she wondered whether or not he'd really traveled to see the aunt as he'd told her, or had he gone out to Kanopolis instead...to see his old girlfriend, Ruby. When she heard the knock Becky opened the door to see Ricky's smiling face. He came into the house, gave her a hug, and then presented her with a handful of pretty, little pink rocks. The rocks were all shaped like roses with bits of white trim around the edges. "I really missed you, Becky," he said. "I thought about you the whole time I was visiting my aunt. I went for long walks alone every night just thinking about how happy you make me. I even picked these rocks up for you along the way. They look like flowers! I hope you like them. Say you missed me, too." Becky surprised him when she replied, "You're a liar and I never want to see you again."
How did Becky know that Ricky was lying? She knew because she had spent the weekend reading a new book that she'd picked up from the Kansas Geological Survey. The book was called Kansas Rocks and Minerals, edited by Rex Buchanan. And Becky knew that Ricky couldn't have found the barite roses in southeastern Kansas. Barite roses are found in Saline and Ellsworth counties. Smack dab in the middle of "Girlfriend City." This she knew thanks to Rex Buchanan.
Kansas Rocks and Minerals is a wonderful little "reader friendly" guide written for the layperson, to provide some basic information relating to Kansas' geological history, obviously including rocks and minerals. The book is perfect for families, students, classroom teachers, 4-H leaders, or that traveling rock hound who simply wishes to know more about the surroundings that he/she is seeing as they walk or drive through Kansas.
The book begins with a basic introduction to geologic history and a tour of the geologic time scale and the types of rocks that were formed in Kansas over the past 4.5 billion years. Several photographs are included that show modern day exposures of age old rock or geologically significant phenomenon (for example, Monument Rock in Gove County, or sandstone concretions at Rock City). Topographic, historical, geologic and stratographic maps are also included throughout the book to aid the reader in deciphering Kansas' geologic code.
Following the section on geologic history, readers are introduced to Kansas' rocks. Again, designed for the layperson in mind, the section begins with a review of the three types of rocks (igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary) and how these rocks are formed. Following are sections devoted to each major rock type, with descriptions of the particular rocks falling into each categories. In addition to the description, the book also offers background information for all selected rocks, economic uses, and geographic locations by county. Some of the sedimentary rocks outlined include limestone and dolomite variations, clay, shale, siltstone, sandstone, quartzite, and evaporites. Among the igneous rocks discussed are granite, peridotite, volcanic ash and basalt. Mineral fuels are also covered, including petroleum, natural gas and oil shale.
The section on minerals begins with some basic definitions and gives the reader an introductory course in physical properties and testing. Properties covered include color, luster, streak, hardness (includes a review of the Mohs scale of hardness), transparency, and cleavage. Minerals are then divided up according to class (native elements, sulfides, halides, carbonates, oxides, sulfates and silicates). Following suit to the section on rocks, the author provides the reader with as much detail as is probably desired by the layperson on particular minerals. This includes common names, chemical make-up, hardness and other descriptors of physical properties, geographic locales in which the minerals have been found, and also any particular economic contributions of the minerals.
The book ends with a 4 1/2 page mineral identification table, though the author cautions the reader against assuming the table to be useful in identifying minerals from other states. The table, though somewhat simplified (only when considering what we've been doing in Mineralogy), takes the reader through several levels that offer a nice, easy to follow guide in identification.
To top things off, the back cover offers a listing of other Kansas Geological Survey publications, as well as other publications of interest to the person interested in learning more about rocks and minerals. My overall rating of Kansas Rocks and Minerals is good to excellent. Considering the intended audience (the layperson, not the mineralogist), the book provides good introductory information on several different aspects related to Kansas' geology, rocks and minerals. Personally, I have used this book over and over throughout the last several years as my family has traveled with 4-H groups on geology field trips. When my daughter's eyes reach the size of quarters and her grin spreads across her face because she has found the "most awesomest" piece of gypsum ever, we sit down with the Kansas Rocks and Minerals book and take our learning just a little bit further.
So sad for Ricky that he didn't do the same...

This resource is online at http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Extension/KGSrocks.html.

References

Kansas rocks and minerals (Rev. ed.), R. Buchanan, 1988, Kansas Geological Survey, Educational Series 2, 60 p., Kansas Geological Publications, Lawrence, Kansas.

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Kevin Faurot Presents:
Beneath Our Feet

"Beneath Our Feet" by Ron Vernon is in a way a basic overview of earth science with an emphasis on rocks and minerals. The book covers everything from plate tectonics to rocks that fall from outer space, and from volcanic eruptions to weathering and erosion of rocks.
The book has many pictures that help to show and describe everything discussed in the book. If is worth getting just to look at all the pictures of beautiful minerals that were formed millions of years ago below the earth's surface, and the pictures that show rock being formed on the earth's surface from a volcanic eruption.
The first chapter of the book is devoted mainly to minerals. The chapter is about how and where minerals are formed and what they consist of. The second chapter goes in depth about plate tectonics, including plate boundaries and plate movement. The third chapter covers volcanoes and flowing rocks and the wondrous formations that result. Chapter four describes what the earth's mantle is made of. The fifth chapter is on volcanoes and the inner surface of the earth which includes magma. Chapter six is about breaking points. It covers faults, earthquakes, cleavage and fracture. Weathering, erosion, and deposition are all covered in chapter seven. Chapter eight is about the earth's inner core, and nine, covers hot water situations and ocean ridges. Chapter ten covers changing the shape of rocks and metamorphism. Chapter eleven covers rocks from outer space including meteorites and fragments from asteroids.
The book overall seems interesting but is basically pictures with captions. The information that is available is good and reliable, but limited. If you want to see some pretty pictures, check this book out. You might learn a little too. However, if you are looking for something to use for a research paper, I would suggest you keep looking.

References

Vernon, R. (2000). Beneath Our feet: The of planet Earth. UK: Cambridge University Press.

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Anthony Farrar Presents:
Minerals in the 50 States

Minerals in the 50 State is not a book, but merely a 54 page pamphlet. This resource was compiled by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Mines in 1991. It was put together as a result of the Take Pride in America campaign in the early 1990's.
The introduction describes how the Bureau of Mines is involved with outdoor recreational activities and how minerals are a part of everyday life, ". . .the vast majority of hikers reach trailhead on roads made of minerals, riding in vehicles that are likewise of mineral origin. The food they carry is probably packaged in containers of mineral origin, and was certainly grown and processed with the assistance of minerals" (page 1). It continued to give more examples of how minerals are important in our lives, and it finished with a paragraph from the former President Bush encouraging every American to enjoy the outdoors.
After the introduction page, the book's format was very simplistic, with each page in paragraph form. It listed the fifty states in alphabetical order and each page described the minerals involved with the state. Some examples of the information given for each state are: states nicknames that are of mineral origin, mineral and mineral fuel production, mineral history, history of some towns and rushes that resulted from minerals, and other uses of mineral deposits.
Many of the states' mineral information was very fascinating, however, the page describing Kansas was a focus for me. The opening sentence declares, "Kansas was the first state west of the Mississippi to produce petroleum commercially" (page 18). The Hugoton Gasfield, located in southwestern Kansas, was also described as the world's largest. The following paragraph articulated that Kansas was the Nation's leader in helium production. It stated that helium was extracted from natural gas and the booklet shared some uses and applications of helium.
The following paragraph explained how the high-tech mineral, cultured quartz crystal, was produced in Kansas. Uses listed for this cultured crystal included such things as "timing devices for watches, clocks, microprocessors, and electronic devices" (page 18).
The pamphlet then noted the production of construction minerals such as sand and gravel, are produced from Earth within Kansas' borders. The underground limestone quarries around Kansas City and the salt mines near Hutchinson are described as both useful for mineral production and for use as controlled environments storing such things as movie film and paper documents.
The final paragraph in the Kansas section of the leaflet informed that Kansas contains one of the Nation's 10 largest gypsum mines and an adjacent plant uses the gypsum to make wallboard. This gypsum mine and plant is the National Gypsum Company and is located in Medicine Lodge, the hometown of Anthony Farrar.
Overall, this book is a great resource for a short report over the minerals involved with any of the 50 U.S. states. It is also very interesting and fun to read the facts about different areas of the United States. If a person has any interest in trivial facts, history, and especially minerals of the fifty nifty United States, then he/she should pick up Minerals in the 50 States and give it a good read.
A related online resource is http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/state/, State Minerals Statistics and Information. Other government resources include http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/collect1/collectgip.html and http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eastern/rock-min.html. A 50 state mineralogy literature list is available at http://www.mineralcollecting.org/literature/.

References

Bureau of Mines (1991). Minerals in the 50 states. Department of the Interior: Bureau of Mines.

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Jacob Bray Presents:
Natural Gemstones

Although Natural Gemstones is a book of only sixteen pages, it is stuffed with information on naturally occurring gemstones. It starts with a general overview of stones grouped as semiprecious and precious. The overview is comprehensive, with very direct descriptions. First, the description includes geologic environment, geologic occurrences and frequency, and gemstones formations. This section is followed by descriptions of the stones, and finally a brief section that contains a few interesting facts.
"A natural gemstone is a mineral, stone, or organic matter that can be cut and polished or otherwise treated for use as jewelry or ornament" (Natural Gemstones). To be classified as a gemstone the subject must meet three criteria. First, the substance must have beauty. Second, the subject must be durable. Third, the material has to be rare. If the subject meets all three criteria, then it is classified as "precious." If it meets only one or two of these qualifications it would fall into the "semiprecious" category. The stone is considered a gemstone only after it has been cut and polished (Natural Gemstones).
This publication grouped diamond, corundum (ruby and sapphire), topaz, and opal as precious gemstones; all others are considered semiprecious. The information given for each stone is the chemical composition, the hardness (Mohs scale), specific gravity, and the colors in which they may occur. Although the chemical composition may remain the same in certain stones, their colors may vary and this alone is enough to lead to a name change. For instance, ruby and sapphire are both varieties of corundum and what distinguishes them is a different color. Ruby is red, while sapphire is any other color, however blue is commonly associated with saphhire.
Organic gemstones are covered also. They consist of amber, coral, jet, and pearl. Amber comes from sticky, gooey tree resin. Coral comes from the sea and is formed by tiny organisms that create a calcitic shell around them for a home. Jet is simply velvet black coal that can be cut and polished, mostly into beads for use as a bracelet or necklace (Natural Gemstones). Pearl is formed within mollusk when a tiny particle of sand enters the shell and begins to irritate the organism. The organism releases a substance known as nacre to protect itself. This nacre continues to build up to form the pearl (Natural Gemstones).
One interesting fact was that in 1989, 98% of precious gemstones imported into the United States (Natural Gemstones). Very few diamonds are found within the U.S., and of those that are, many come from Arkansas and the Colorado/Wyoming border. We continue to drill and tear up the land in nearly every state in the union in hopes of finding a diamond. In 1990 the world diamond reserves are about 300 million carats, most of those are in South Africa, Siberia, and Australia (Natural Gemstones).
My overall feeling on this book is that it is of high quality. It is an easy read, yet it is packed with useful and interesting information. It would be very helpful as kind of a quick guide for a gemologist or everyday collector. I am glad to review this book and wished there had been an updated version of it. There is an online version at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gemstones/, with links to other government sponsored gem, mineral, and rock sites. Another interesting site is http://minerals.er.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/gemstones/sp14-95/, An Overview of Production of Specific U.S. Gemstones.

References

Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Natural gemstones. 1992

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Erik Merhoff Presents:
Uranium Potential in Permian and Pennsylvanian Sandstones in Oklahoma
Chapter 8 from Energy Minerals

As I looked through the list of possible books, Energy Minerals caught my eye. Since I am getting a minor in Physics I figured it would be fairly interesting. I chose to read the chapter about Uranium found in Oklahoma. I had no idea there was such an abundance of radioactivity in this area. Most of the radioactivity is found in the southwestern part of the state but there is also some along the western edge. Uranium is deposited in four major ways in Oklahoma: through fault systems, uplifting, evaporites, and organic matter.

The only place in Oklahoma with a commercial Uranium mining deposit is in the Cement anticlinal structure. The Cement anticline is Permian in age and is mostly composed of sandstone. There are several faults along this area that leak hydrocarbons which come into contact with sulfate minerals in the rock. As this happens, the hydrocarbon oxidizes the sulfates and replaces certain minerals, mainly gypsum, with carbonates in the sandstone. Hydrogen sulfide is a byproduct of these reactions and the result is an ore body of minerals around the leaking faults. Out of 13 tons of ore mined from this area, 2.2% was uranium.

One other place where uranium is present due to fault systems is Cox City in Grady County. Cox City has recordings of radioactivity just outside of town along State Highway 17. However, this deposit is much smaller and therefore is not mined.

Radioactive material tends to be brought up with uplifts that have a high content of feldspars. Two different uplifts have created alluvial fans with radioactive material. One is the Wichita uplift which brought up granite with about 60% quartz, 10% orthoclase, and 2% plagioclase. The rest is filled with other minerals and elements, one of which is uranium.

The Arbuckle Uplift, responsible for the Virgilian Vanoss Formation and the Tishomingo granite, brought up an abundant amount of feldspars. With these feldspars, especially in the Tishomingo granite and very fine grained sandstones and siltstones about 25 to 55 miles north of the Tishomingo, comes small surface areas with radioactive anomalies (Beaumont, 125).

Western Oklahoma has uranium derived from evaporites. There is radioactivity present in Roger Mills County in thin beds of yellow and gray sandstones enclosed by red shale (Beaumont, 128). This radioactivity is due to tidal creek deposits left after evaporation of water and other minerals.

Radioactivity is also found in some oil producing reservoirs in Oklahoma. The Cherokee Sandstone holds many of these reservoirs as well as one of the most radioactive shale layers in this specific Pennsylvanian section. There are high radioactivity readings throughout this area even though these oil fields lack relatively abundant deposits of uranium.

Although there are four processes in which uranium is deposited (fault systems, uplifting, evaporites, and organic matter), only one is being mined for commercial use. This is because Cement anticline is the only area with sufficient uranium, along with other minerals, to be beneficial for mining. Despite this fact, there is still a fairly abundant amount of radioactivity in southwestern and western Oklahoma.

WORKS CITED

Al-Shaieb, Zuhair., et al. "Uranium Potential of Permian and Pennsylvanian Sandstones in Oklahoma." Energy minerals (Ed. Edward Beaumont). Edwards Brothers Inc. 1982. 115-130.

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This page originates from the Earth Science department for the use and benefit of students enrolled at Emporia State University. For more information contact the course instructor, S. W. Aber, e-mail: saber@emporia.edu. Thanks for visiting! Created 9/2004; last update: 19 September, 2006.

copyright 2002-2006 © Susan Ward Aber. All rights reserved.