Nevada State Metal – Silver

ContentsSilver – Nevada’s Official State MetalThe History of SIlver Mining In NevadaSilver – Nevada’s Official State Metal With regard to the Comstock Lode, gold, having been discovered at the head of Six-Mile Canyon, Nevada, in 1859, was the first target of miners, but it soon became apparent that the real mineral of importance in the area was silver. Abraham Lincoln financed the Civil...

Delaware State Mineral – Sillimanite

ContentsSillimanite – Al2SiO5Sillimanite – Al2SiO5 In 1977, the Delaware General Assembly, acting on a proposal by the Delaware Mineralogical Society, established sillimanite as the Delaware State Mineral. This act recognizes the geological and mineralogical significance of the large masses of this mineral found as boulders at Brandywine Springs, an occurrence that was recognized as important in the...

Illinois State Mineral – Flourite

ContentsPure fluorite (CaF2) is made of the elements calcium (Ca) and fluorine (F)The many uses for fluoritePure fluorite (CaF2) is made of the elements calcium (Ca) and fluorine (F) A bill designating fluorite the official state mineral of Illinois was passed in 1965 Fluorite melts at low temperatures and flows through other minerals, such as limestone, which is where it gets its name. Fluere in Latin, means to...

Nevada Mines Map

The Nevada Mines Map shows the location of the primary minerals that are mined in Nevada for industrial use. Color the map and use it in your state report project on Nevada. Download the Nevada Mines Map in PDF format. Cite this… (new...

Historic California Gold Rush Map

In recognition of the California Gold Discovery to Statehood Sesquicentennial (1998-2000) CGS produced the “Map of California Historic Gold Mines” (MM 009) as a poster at the scale of 1:1,500,000. The map shows the location of 13,500 historic California gold mines. Purchase a full sized finished poster here. Download a full sized copy of the California Historic Gold Rush...

Benitoite – California State Gem

Benitoite (pronounced beh-nee-tow-ite) can occur in rich blue crystals that are as striking and flawless as the finest sapphires. Gem quality benitoite is found only in a small area of San Benito County, California. It has never been found in quantity or as crystals much larger than 5 cm across. The scarcity of this beautiful gem makes it primarily a collector’s item. However, a minor amount of high quality...