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Question: Do minerals produce the colors in fireworks?

Answer:

Mineral elements provide the color in fireworks. Barium produces bright greens; strontium yields deep reds; copper produces blues; and sodium yields yellow. Other colors can be made my mixing elements; strontium and sodium produce brilliant orange; Titanium, zirconium, and magnesium alloys make silvery white; copper and strontium make lavender. Gold sparks are produced by iron filings and small pieces of charcoal. Bright flashes and loud bangs come from aluminum powder.

 

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Opening a Dam to Study and Improve Resources in the Grand Canyon
Amos Eaton:Amos Eaton(1776-1842) was a geologist whose research area was the geological profile of the New England region of the United States. He was one of the most influential American Geologists. He is considered by some to be the father of American Geology. He was an advocate of field work and took his students out on long field trips when he was a Professor at the Rensselaer School. This portrait of Amos Eaton was done by Abner Lowe in the 1920s.
Object ID: USGS-575007
The Heavens on Earth
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Source URL: http://minerals.usgs.gov/west/morefun.shtml
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Subjects(s): Minerals
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