Orange minerals

Orange minerals

There are hundreds of orange minerals. Many of them contain iron. Do you know what happens when you leave a lump of iron out in the rain? Think of a rusty bicycle! 'Rust' occurs naturally too, as an iron mineral called goethite. Goethite, like rust, is orangy-brown.

Quartz is found in many different colours. The word 'citrine' comes from the same word as 'citrus' - like the oranges and tangerines you eat at lunch. Other minerals that can be orange include heulandite, zircon, topaz and even diamonds.

Goethite (top right), heulandite, zircon and topaz are all examples of orange minerals.