While it is interesting to see how to identify or classify minerals,
perhaps it is more important to find out why a mineral is useful to man.
This table shows the uses of some common minerals. Place
your mouse over each image link to view it in a separate window. Close
the window to return to this page and continue.
| Bauxite | Aluminum, foil, airplane parts |
| Borax | Antiseptic soaps, welding flux or cleaner (found in dry lake beds) |
| Calcite | Medicine, toothpaste, bldng. materials (hard water deposit, ancient sea beds) |
| Copper | Tubing, electrical wires, sculptures |
| Diamond | Cutting tools/ blades/ saws |
| Feldspar | Ceramics and porcelain, colors in granites (not black) |
| Galena | Source of lead |
| Graphite | Pencils, lubricant in machinery |
| Gypsum | Wall board, Plaster of Paris |
| Halite | Salt |
| Hematite | Source of iron |
| Jade | Jewelry, figurines |
| Limonite /Taconite | Source of iron (around Cedar City) |
| Muscovite (Mica) | White, gray material in electrical insulators |
| Quartz
(massive type) Quartz crystal |
Glass manufacturing, radios, computers and electronic equipment |
| Silver | Jewelry, photography, electrical equip. |
| Sulfur | Fungicides, kills bacteria, vulcanizes rubber, in coal and fuels, fertilizer |
| Talc | Baby powder, soapstone, gymnastics to grasp bars |
