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⇱ The Learning Center


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The Learning Center


Welcome! Mindat.org has an enormous resource of educational articles and other content, and whether you're a beginner or an expert we have all the information you need. These have been divided into three sections:

Introductory Articles


These articles are suitable for everyone wanting to learn about rocks and minerals.

What is a Mineral?

Determining the Hardness of a Mineral

Determining Color and Streak

Determining Lustre

Determining Fracture and Cleavage

Determining the Specific Gravity of a Mineral

The Most Common Minerals on Earth

The Rocks and Minerals of Minecraft

Must-have Rockhounding Gear (video)


Intermediate Articles


These articles take some of the concepts further and explain more complex areas of mineralogy and earth sciences, you should understand the basic concepts explained in the introductory section before tackling these.

Crystallography: The Isometric System

Crystallography: The Hexagonal System

Crystallography: The Trigonal System

Crystallography: The Orthorhombic System

Crystallography: The Monoclinic System

Crystallography: The Tetragonal System

Crystallography: The Triclinic System

Miller Indices

Hermann-Mauguin Symmetry Symbols

Determining the Symmetry of Crystals

Advanced Articles


For the most experienced, or adventurous, student, these articles cover very advanced aspects of mineralogy and associated sciences.

Mineral Evolution

Further Information for Educators



More information for educators


Quick NavIntroductory ArticlesIntermediate ArticlesAdvanced ArticlesFurther Information for Educators
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Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
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