Rocks and Minerals: Everyday Uses

Click on each shelf cubby to get a closer look.

We use things made from rocks and minerals every day. It is estimated that every person in the United States will use more than three million pounds of rocks, minerals and metals during their lifetime.

As each of us use the Earth's natural resources on a human time scale, it is important to consider that mineral resources form on geologic timescales, and the vast difference between the two. The items in this case are just a few of the ways that we use rocks and minerals in our everyday lives.

Photography and text by Edward Davis and web development by Keith Hamm. Images © UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Production of this gallery was generously supported by The Ford Family Foundation.