Rock & Mineral Encyclopedia

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

Rock Salt

An evaporite rock of the mineral halite (sodium chloride), the source of common salt, with a distinctive salty taste.

The natural mineral form of table salt, a soft, water-soluble evaporite that forms perfect cubic crystals and tastes salty.

A coarse-grained, speckled intrusive rock built from quartz, feldspar, and mica, forming the bedrock of the continents.

A coarse-grained intrusive rock with a distinctive salt-and-pepper look, the plutonic equivalent of andesite.

The natural crystal form of morganite, the manganese-colored pink-to-peach variety of beryl popular in romantic jewelry.

An organic gem formed inside mollusks from layered nacre, prized for its iridescent luster and classic elegance.