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Mineral: Fluorite

Mineral Origin: Cave-in-Rock District, IL (Sample donated by H.B. Wood)

Primary Commodity: Fluorspar 

Mineral: Alumina-Zirconia Abrasive

Mineral Origin: Manufactured in Huntsville, AL (Sample on loan from J.B. Hedrick)

Primary Commodity: Aluminum and zirconia

Primary Commodity Uses: This abrasive is primarily used in metal casting and the foundry process

Sphalerite, zinc sulfide, is and has been the principal ore mineral in the world. Zinc uses range from metal products to rubber and medicines. Zinc alloys readily with other metals and is chemically active. On exposure to air, it develops a thin gray oxide film (patina), which inhibits deeper oxidation (corrosion) of the metal.

Stibnite (Sb2S3) is the predominant ore mineral of antimony. Antimony compounds help prevent skin burns, increase battery life, and refine glass used for cellphones. A surprising 83% of antimony consumed stateside is imported—mostly from China—leaving the US susceptible to supply disruption.

Mineral: Vanadinite

Mineral Origin: J.C. Holmes Claim, Patagonia, AZ (Sample donated by G. van Oss)

Primary Commodity: Vanadium

Mineral: Rutile
Primary Commodity: Titanium
Primary Commodity Uses: The vast majority of titanium is used in whiteners in the form of titanium oxide. Titanium metal makes up a comparatively small amount of the use for titanium, but as a metal it is used in metal coatings and medical implants.

Mineral: Chalcopyrite

Mineral Origin: Bingham Canyon, UT

Primary Commodity: Copper

Primary Commodity Uses: Copper is used primarily in electronics, mostly in building construction and industrial electronics.

Mineral: Chromite

Mineral Origin: Owings Mills, MD

Primary Commodity: Chromium

Primary Commodity Uses: Chromium mostly goes into stainless steel and other alloys, as well as in color pigments.

Mineral: Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite

Mineral Origin: Creighton Mine, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (Sample on loan from George J. Coakley)

Primary Commodity: Copper and nickel

Mineral: Bertrandite (in carbonate clasts that have been largely replaced by fluorite (purple) that contains submicroscopic bertrandite)

Mineral Origin: Spor Mountain, UT

Primary Commodity: Beryllium

Mineral: Bauxite

Mineral Origin: Les Baux, France (Sample donated by Gary Kingston)

Primary Commodity: Aluminum and Gallium

Mineral: Bauxite

Mineral Origin: Les Baux, France (Sample donated by Gary Kingston)

Primary Commodity: Aluminum and Gallium

Mineral: Bastnaesite (the reddish parts) in Carbonatite

Mineral Origin: Mountain Pass, CA

Primary Commodity: Rare earth elements

Scintillometer and torrs of the Melozitna granite in the Ruby batholith.  This granite contains abundant monazite and high levels of thorium and rare earth elements. This area is part of the Bureau of Land Management's Central Yukon Planning Area, which USGS did a mineral assessment of in 2015.

These two minerals are apophyllite and prehnite. Both apophyllite, the clear crystals, and prehnite, the green mineral, are primarily prized as collectors minerals. 

Sample provided by Carlin Green, USGS. Sample originated from Virginia Crushed Stone Quarry, Virginia, and is 4.6cm in size.

This sample is of the mineral cerussite, once an important source of lead for paints and pigments. With the phasing out of lead-based paints, cerussite is now mostly valued as a collectors mineral.

Sample provided by Carlin Green, USGS. Sample originated from Mibladen, Morocco, and is 5.6cm in size.

A sample of pyrite and quartz. Iron pyrite, also known as Fool's Gold due to its resemblance to gold, often occurs in quartz veins. Pyrite is an important source of sulfur dioxide, which is primarily used to create sulfuric acid, an important industrial acid.

A sample of bastnaesite, one of the principal mineral sources of rare-earth elements. Rare-earth elements are essential components in most modern electronics.

A sample of native gold. Gold has been treasured since ancient times for its beauty and permanence.   Most of the gold that is fabricated today goes into the manufacture of jewelry, but it also performs critical functions in computers, communications equipment, spacecraft, jet aircraft engines, and a host of other products.

This is a sample of rutile, one of the primary mineral sources of titanium. While as a metal, titanium is well known for corrosion resistance and for its high strength-to-weight ratio, approximately 95% of titanium is consumed in the form of titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a white pigment used in paints, paper, and plastics.

A sample of augelite and quartz. Augelite is an aluminum phosphate mineral, primarily prized for collecting rather than as a source for its industrial mineral components.

Sample provided by Carlin Green, USGS. Sample originated from Mundo Nuevo Mine, Peru, and is 3.7cm in size.