Graphite is also made of carbon atoms, but with a different arrangement—explaining why diamond is the hardest mineral and graphite (used in pencil lead) is one of the softest. Rubies are formed ...

It's not as processed as table salt, but there are normally no extra chemicals added, and its natural minerals stay intact. Rock salt is different. In certain regions of the world, buried hundreds ...

Vitamin C helps wounds to heal. There are lots of different minerals, such as calcium, iron and zinc. Different minerals do different jobs in the body. Calcium can be found in foods like milk ...

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. David Bressan is a geologist who covers curiosities about Earth. Rocks and minerals contribute essential raw materials for any civilization ...

Hubbard, who first joined the USGS as a postdoc, is part of the agency’s Earth Mapping Resource Initiative (Earth MRI).

In the Kits: #12: Shark tooth (specifically, the enamel of the tooth) Recrystallization - A process by which the minerals making up the original shell or bone of a fossil change into a different ...