It is a great book for reading, reference or study. It has expert and accurate authorship. It is written in a very interesting style and has lots of excellent photos.
This textbook-size (7.0" x 9.25") guidebook presents interesting facts about hundreds of different rocks, gems, minerals and fossils. Contains 360 pages with hundreds of full-color illustrations and an index - a very nice book at a bargain price. Highly recommended.
Smithsonian Rock and GemTable of Contents | |
| Origins | 6 |
| The Formation of the Universe | 8 |
| The Formation of Earth | 12 |
| Earth's Crust | 16 |
| Collecting Rocks and Minerals | 20 |
| Rocks | 26 |
| Rock Formation | 28 |
| Types of Rock | 30 |
| Igneous Rocks | 32 |
| The Giant's Causeway | 44 |
| The Devil's Tower | 48 |
| Sedimentary Rocks | 52 |
| Caves and Caverns | 56 |
| The Terra-Cotta Army | 62 |
| The Painted Desert | 66 |
| Stonehenge | 72 |
| Metamorphic Rocks | 76 |
| The Taj Mahal | 80 |
| Minerals | 86 |
| What is a Mineral? | 88 |
| Identifying Minerals | 92 |
| Mineral Associations | 96 |
| What is a Crystal? | 98 |
| Crystal Systems | 100 |
| Crystal Habits | 102 |
| What is a Gemstone? | 104 |
| Gem Mining | 106 |
| Gem Cutting | 108 |
| Megagems | 110 |
| Native Elements | 112 |
| Egyptian Gold | 116 |
| Hope Diamond | 124 |
| Sulfides | 126 |
| Sulfosalts | 142 |
| Oxides | 146 |
| Star Stones and Cat's eyes | 152 |
| Fluorescent Minerals | 160 |
| Hydroxides | 166 |
| Halides | 170 |
| Carbonates | 176 |
| Russian Malachite | 186 |
| Phosphates, Arsenates, and Vanadates | 188 |
| Mesoamerican Turquoise | 198 |
| Borates and Nitrates | 204 |
| Sulfates, Chromates, Tungstates and Molybdates | 208 |
| Silicates | 218 |
| Tectosilicates | 218 |
| Feldspars | 234 |
| Feldspathoids | 242 |
| The Standard of Ur | 246 |
| Zeolites | 249 |
| Phyllosilicates | 256 |
| Single-Chain Inosilicates | 270 |
| Double-Chain Inosilicates | 278 |
| Chinese Burial Suites | 282 |
| Cyclosilicates | 286 |
| Sorosilicates | 294 |
| Nesosilicates | 298 |
| The Garnet Group | 300 |
| Organic Gems | 314 |
| The Amber Room | 316 |
| Cultivating Pearls | 324 |
| Fossils | 326 |
| How Fossils are Formed | 328 |
| The Fossil Record | 330 |
| Plants | 332 |
| The Arizona Petrified Forest | 334 |
| Invertebrates | 337 |
| Vertebrates | 348 |
| The Dinosaur Quarry | 350 |
| Glossary | 352 |
| Index | 354 |
| Acknowledgements | 359 |
