Rock & Mineral Encyclopedia

Search and identify 1,000+ rocks, minerals, crystals, and gemstones — with properties, formation, colors, hardness, and how to tell them apart.

Shale

The most common sedimentary rock, a fissile mudrock of compacted clay and silt that splits into thin layers.

An opaque green variety of chalcedony quartz colored by iron and chlorite-group inclusions, prized as a durable carving and cabochon stone.

A dark green jasper-chalcedony speckled with red iron-oxide spots, classically known as bloodstone or heliotrope.

A warm mustard-to-ochre yellow jasper colored by iron, valued by lapidaries for its rich, earthy golden tone.

A dense, opaque black variety of microcrystalline quartz historically used as a touchstone for testing precious metals.

A rare Australian jasper from the Pilbara with bold red, yellow, and black abstract patterns, prized by collectors.

An opaque brown chalcedony whose iron-stained banding mimics deserts, dunes, and distant mountain skylines.

A microcrystalline quartz jasper marked by small concentric ring or eye patterns that resemble the eyes of birds.