Rocks, Minerals, and More Quiz

Question: In the 3rd century BCE, the Greek philosopher Theophrastus wrote De lapidibus, which for almost 2,000 years was the best treatise on which subject?

Answer: The oldest known treatise on rocks and minerals is De lapidibus (“On Stones”) by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus. Written probably in the early years of the 3rd century BCE, this work remained the best study of mineral substances for almost 2,000 years.

Question: Which is the mineral that forms stalactites and stalagmites in underground caves?

Answer: Stalactites and stalagmites are elongated forms of various minerals deposited from solution by slowly dripping water. The dominant mineral in such deposits is calcite (calcium carbonate), and the largest displays are formed in caves of limestone and dolomite.

Question: Which is the hardest form of pure carbon?

Answer: Diamond, a mineral composed of pure carbon, is the hardest naturally occurring substance.

Question: Which mineral is the principal ore of aluminum?

Answer: Bauxite is the principal ore of aluminum. It was discovered in 1821 near Les Baux in southern France.

Question: Which element puts the green in emeralds and the red in rubies?

Answer: The name of the element chromium (from Greek chromos, “colour”) connotes the pronounced and varied colorations of chromium compounds. The red colour of ruby and the green colour of emerald, to mention only gems, are due to small amounts of chromium.

Question: Which of these is a sedimentary rock commonly used as a building stone?

Answer: Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate. Certain varieties of limestone serve as a building stone; they are widely used for flooring, exterior and interior facings, and monuments.

Question: The Mohs scale ranks relative hardness by testing which effect of one material on another?

Answer: Mohs hardness is a rough measure of the resistance of a smooth surface to scratching or abrasion, expressed in terms of a scale devised (1812) by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. The Mohs hardness of a mineral is determined by observing whether its surface is scratched by a substance of known or defined hardness.

Question: What abundant mineral has many useful properties, including the piezoelectric effect?

Answer: Quartz is a widely distributed mineral of many varieties that consists primarily of silica, or silicon dioxide. Quartz is piezoelectric: a crystal develops positive and negative charges on alternate prism edges when it is subjected to pressure or tension.

Question: What, really, does a fool take for gold?

Answer: Pyrite is also called fool’s gold. Its colour makes it appear like a gold nugget. It is a naturally occurring iron disulfide mineral.