Sulfur

  • SulfurWhat is it and where is it formed?  Sulfur is a mineral that is found in sedimentary rock.  It’s found in places where there are, or were, volcanoes.  It can be found in salt domes, too.

  • How and where is it mined?  Sulfur is mined using quarrying and underground mining.  Sometimes it is mined from volcanoes that aren’t active anymore. Since it melts easily at low temperatures, very hot salt water is pumped down through pipes into the mine to melt the sulfur.   Air is pumped in to push the melted sulfur out.   Then the sulfur cools and becomes solid or it is kept hot and melted before it is sent to whoever wants it.  Whether it is solid or liquid depends on what it will be used for. This is called the Frasch process because Herman Frasch invented the process in the 1800s.  Sulfur is mined in:   the USA [Michigan, & Ohio], Sicily, Poland, and Chile.

  • What is it used for?  Sulfur is used in papermaking and for sulfuric acid. Fertilizers, plastics, drugs, explosives, and matches use sulfur.

  • Interesting Information:

    • Sulfur smells like rotten eggs if it mixes with water or is burned.

    • Even a little heat—like a person’s hand—is enough to crack this mineral.
Mineral Characteristic What the
mineralogists say		 Kid's Guide:  What it REALLY means!
Chemical Symbol S

It is pure Sulfur. It is on the Periodic Table of the Elements.
Color Deep yellow color to pale yellow Sulfur is some form of yellow—light or dark but will change to reddish or greenish yellow if there are impurities in it.
Streak White When the stone is rubbed on a white plate, it leaves a white powder.  If the stone was ground up, this is what color the powder would be.
Transparency Transparent to opaque Sometimes you can see through it clearly, sometimes it is blurry to look through, and with some stones you can’t see through them at all.
Luster Vitreous, waxy When a light shines on it, it looks glassy or waxy.
Cleavage Very poor in two directions If broken, it splits unevenly in two directions.
Fracture Conchoidal This mineral is easily shattered or broken into pieces.  Those pieces will be smooth.
Magnetism Not magnetic It will not attract, or be attracted to, a magnet.
Hardness 2 It is brittle and can be broken easily.  You could scratch it with your fingernail.
Specific gravity 2.1 This mineral is very light in weight.
Crystal Shape Orthorhombic

Orthorhombic crystal shape