MINERALS AND MINERALOGY 



3818 



MINERAL WOOL 



used to express them in signs and symbols. 

 While it is true that all minerals, except mer- 

 cury and water, are solid substances, they were 

 once fluids. When a mineral, which is a homo- 

 geneous substance, passes from a fluid to a 

 solid state, its particles attract each other along 

 definite lines and build up a solid which shows 

 by its outward form that there is a definite 

 relation between all its parts. Such a solid is 

 a crystal. 



Physical Mineralogy. This branch deals with 

 the physical characteristics of minerals, their 

 hardness and weight, transparency or translu- 

 cency, color and luster, elasticity, malleability, 

 tenacity, ductility, and finally their effect on 

 the senses of touch, taste and smell. 



Chemical Mineralogy. The chemical compo- 

 sition is the most important characteristic of a 

 mineral, and is the basis of all modern classifi- 

 cations of minerals. All of the known chemical 

 elements have been found in minerals, and 

 minerals are the only known source of many of 

 them. On the other hand, a few elements, such 

 as nitrogen, are rare in minerals. The ordinary 

 methods of analytical chemistry are used to 

 determine the chemical composition of min- 

 erals. E.S. 



Consult Shinn's The Story of the Mine; Cros- 

 by's Common Minerals and Rocks; Dana's Min- 

 erals and How to Study Them. 



Related Subjects. The reader who is inter- 

 ested in the subject of minerals and mineralogy 

 will find much helpful information in the follow- 

 ing articles in these volumes. Not all the min- 

 erals are listed here, but if the reader will con- 

 sult such topics as GEOLOGY, CHEMISTRY and 

 METALS he will find indexes which will supple- 

 ment this one and bring the whole subject within 

 the range of his reading. 



Agate 



Alabaster 



Almandine 



Amethyst 



Aquamarine 



Asbestos 



Asphalt 



Bauxite 



Beryl 



Bitumen 



Brimstone 



Calcite 



Carbon 



Carbuncle 



Carnelian 



Chalcedony 



Chemistry (with list) 



Chromite 



Coal 



Copper Glance 



Corundum 



Crystallization 



Diamond 



Emerald 

 Emery 

 Feldspar 

 Fluor Spar 

 Fulgurite 

 Garnet 



Geology (with list) 

 Heliotrope 

 Hone 



Iceland Spar 

 Jade 

 Jasper 

 Jet 



Kyanite 

 Labradorite 

 Lapis Lazuli 

 Magnetite 

 Malachite 

 Metals (with list) 

 Mica 

 Mining 

 Onyx 

 Opal 



Phosphorus Silica 



Plumbago Silicon 



Pyrite Steatite 



Pyroxene Sulphur 



Quartz Talc 



Ruby Topaz 



Rutile Tourmaline 



Salt Turquoise 



Sapphire Water 



Sardonyx 



MINERAL WATERS, certain spring waters 

 filled with various mineral substances, such as 

 sulphur, lime, magnesia, silica, salt or iron, 

 which have been dissolved by the carbonic acid 

 or alkalies and collected as the water seeped 

 through rocks to an outlet. Such springs have 

 always attracted tourists, especially health- 

 seekers, in great numbers, for their curative 

 qualities are supposed to make them a remedy 

 for many chronic ailments. Physicians attach 

 little importance to them, however. There are 

 over 10,000 mineral springs in North America, 

 about 800 of which have more or less com- 

 mercial, if not actual, curative value. Most of 

 these are in the eastern part of the United 

 States, especially New York and the Missis- 

 sippi Valley, the best known being at Saratoga 

 Springs, N. Y., Hot Springs, Va., and Hot 

 Springs, Ark. 



The famous springs at Saratoga, N. Y., are 

 reputed to be helpful to those suffering from 

 diseases of the liver, spleen and skin, and from 

 neuralgia, rheumatism and dyspeptic troubles. 

 At Hot Springs, Va., are the Berkeley Springs 

 and White Sulphur Springs, the waters of the 

 former being valued as a cure for dyspepsia 

 and diseases of the liver and bowels, while 

 those of the latter are used in the treatment of 

 gout, rheumatism and similar ailments. The 

 Hot Springs of Arkansas are among the most 

 notable in the country ; many people visit them 

 hoping to be cured of diseases of the blood. 



Travelers abroad often visit the famous 

 springs at Aix-la-Chapelle in Prussia, Karlsbad 

 in Bohemia, or Baden-Baden in Germany, 

 while a number of foreign mineral waters are 

 imported to the United States, such as Apol- 

 linaris from Germany, Hunyadi-Janos from 

 Hungary and Vichy from France. Apollinaris 

 is sometimes used to treat nervous irritation 

 accompanied by dyspepsia, and is a well-known 

 table beverage. Hunyadi-Janos is a standard 

 relief for habitual constipation and for gouty 

 disorders. 



MINERAL WOOL, also known as MINERAL 

 COTTON, is a substance used for packing around 

 steam pipes to prevent the escape of heat, 

 and for matting under floors to deaden sound. 



