An Illustrated Exploration of the Dynamic World of Minerals / Antique Book / Old Book / Mineralogy / Ore Book

The land we tread is composed of massive tectonic plates that float on the Earth's mantle. The slow movement of these plates generates earthquakes and shapes continental landscapes. The position and characteristics of these landscapes, in turn, dictate weather patterns. The mineral specimens featured in this book, though appearing solid and eternal on the surface, are also plastic. The content introduces the fundamentals of crystal formation and the large-scale geological forces that shape our planet. Among these, four processes are directly responsible for forming the basic crystals of all minerals: igneous activity, precipitation from solution, metamorphism, and crystallization. Granite, sandstone, limestone, and marble are the most common products of these processes. When the conditions of pressure, heat, and chemical balance are just right—or perhaps, just wrong—these same geological forces create rare voids and veins of large, transparent, and colorful crystals that captivate our senses. These processes are fundamental to mineral formation and systematically classify minerals by their crystalline form, structure, color, and texture, all while being intimately connected to the immense forces that alter the Earth's face. Published ◸ 1994 Binding ◸ Hardcover Size ◸ Large Book, 31 x 23.8 cm Pages ◸ 208 pages