1000 Photos of Minerals and Fossils

Pages of full-color photos identify mineral formations as common as iron and sulfur and as precious as diamonds and rubies. Minerals are shown as they occur both in natural deposits and in their cut-and-polished states. Readers get an overview of mineral sources, gem cutting, imitation gems, metals and metal working, and much more. Also described and shown are meteorites that have fallen to earth from outer space. Perhaps most fascinating of all are the many color photos of fossils, including insects, shell fish, vegetable forms, and animal skeletons, preserved in fossilized formations for millions of years.