Rocks, Minerals, Crystals & Ores
Metallic Oxides
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Beautiful ore
Mines in the Mojave Desert have produced economically important ore for centuries. Metallic ores of iron (pyrite), lead (galena), zinc (sphalerite), and copper (chalcopyrite) were deposited in veins by hot water. When these veins were oxidized by cold water, colorful sulphates, (SO4), carbonates (CO3), arsenates (AsO4), vanadates (VO4), and molybdates (MoO4) formed. These metallic oxides are valued by miners as ore and by collectors as specimens.
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Chalcopyrite, sphalerite
Sphalerite
Wulfenite
Caledonite
Malachite
Dioptase
Agate over wulfenite
Conichalcite
Azurite
Mimetite
Brochantite
Linarite
Embolite
Pyrite
Chalcopyrite, sphalerite
Galena
Turquoise
Vanadinite
Aurichalcite
Turquoise
Malachite aft. azurite
Turquoise aft. apatite
Linarite, caledonite
Rosasite
Turquoise
Smithsonite
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Rocks, Minerals, Crystals & Ores
Metal oxides are crystalline solids that contain a metal cation and an oxide anion. They typically react with water to form bases or with acids to form salts.
Encyclopedia Britannica
