Galena is an important source of lead.

Galena's chemical symbol is PbS, which is

lead and sulfur. Galena may also contain silver. The United States is the leading
producer of lead in the world. Lead was used in pencils and paint until it was
found to be poisonous to humans . Today pencil "lead" is made of another mineral
called graphite. Lead is used for fishing weights.
Galena is an lead sulfide and the main source of lead. Galena usually occurs in
cubic crystals. If you hit a specimen of galena with a hammer it will shatter into
small perfect cubic crystals. It has a metallic luster and a black to dark gray color
and streak. Galena has a hardness of about 2.5 on Mohs hardness scale which is
about as hard as your finger nail.
Galena is mined in Missouri, Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma, Colorado, British Columbia
of Canada, and Mexico.

Magnetite is a mineral that has a very high iron content. Magnetite has a black or
brownish-red color and a black streak. It has a hardness of about 6 on the Mohs
hardness scale. It is one of two minerals in the world that is naturally magnetic.
Magnetite, also known as lodestone, is found throughout the United States.
Magnetite is an important source of iron ore and occurs in many igneous rocks.

Augite is a greenish-black mineral that is found in many igneous rocks. It is found

in many basic and ultra-basic igneous rocks such as gabbro and basalt. Augite has
a hardness of 5-6.5 with a vitreous luster and a prismatic cleavage.
GRAPHITE
The mineral above is very similar chemically to a diamond. Graphite and
diamond are both pure carbon. The difference is the amount of heat and pressure
that has been put onto the two minerals. Diamond is the hardest natural element
on Earth with a hardness of 10 which is the maximum on the Mohs hardness
scale. Graphite is a very soft mineral with a hardness between 1 and 2. Graphite
has a black streak and was probably formed by the metamorphism of plant
remains or by the crystallization of ancient magmas.
Today graphite is used for "lead" in pencils. Lead is poisonous to humans and has
not been used for many years in pencils. Graphite is also used in the paint
industry.