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Mineral: Specularite (a variety of Hematite)

Mineral Origin: Republic Mine, MI

Primary Mineral Commodity: Iron

Commodity Uses: Steelmaking

Mineral: Tetrahedrite (a copper antimony sulfosalt)

Mineral Origin: Bingham Canyon, UT

Main Commodity: Silver

Mineral: Silicon Carbide

Mineral Origin: Sample donated by Norton Company

Primary Commodity: Silica (abrasive)

Primary Commodity Uses: Just as their name implies, abrasives are used to abrade, clean, etch, grind, polish, scour, or otherwise remove material

Mineral: Silicon Carbide

Mineral Origin: Sample donated by Norton Company

Primary Commodity: Silica (abrasive)

Primary Commodity Uses: Just as their name implies, abrasives are used to abrade, clean, etch, grind, polish, scour, or otherwise remove material

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

Mineral: Vanadinite

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

Primary Commodity: Vanadium

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: Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite

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

Primary Commodity: Copper and nickel

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

Primary Commodity: Bismuth

Primary Commodity Uses: Bismuth is the heaviest of the heavy metals and the only non-toxic one at that. As such, it’s seen a lot of use in replacements for lead, as well as in medications and atomic research.

Mineral: Halite (NaCl)
Primary mineral Commodity: Salt

Mineral: Graphite (C) in pegmatite rock

Mineral Origin: Ticonderoga, NY

Primary Mineral Commodity: Graphite

Mineral Commodity Uses: brake linings, foundry operations, heat-resistant lubricants, refractory applications, and steelmaking

Rock: Conglomerate (Gold Ore) Contains sediments of Precambrian age; contains about 8 grams of gold per ton of rock.

Mineral: Feldspar
Primary Commodity: Feldspar
Primary Commodity Uses: Feldspar is one of the most common minerals on the planet and is mostly used for glassmaking and ceramics.

Mineral: Garnet Schist
Primary Commodity: Garnet
Primary Commodity Uses: Garnet is mostly used for abrasives, water filtration, and some electronics

Mineral: Silicon Carbide

Mineral Origin: Sample donated by Norton Company

Primary Commodity: Silica (abrasive)

Primary Commodity Uses: Just as their name implies, abrasives are used to abrade, clean, etch, grind, polish, scour, or otherwise remove material

Mineral: Wolframite
Primary Commodity: Tungsten
Primary Commodity Uses: Tungsten is one of the densest metals on the planet, and therefore gets used in metalworking and construction, as well as in heat sinks, weights, and even vibrating batteries.

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.