Sulfur is a very common element, the ninth most abundant in the world.

Chemical Formula: S
Class: Native Element
Hardness: 1.5-2.5
Coloration: Yellow

How to identify it/Unique Characteristics or Properties: Sulfur is a very common element, the ninth most abundant in the world. Once called brimstone, it has a horrible smell and burns easily (though releasing toxic gas when it does). It can develop into very nice yellow crystals, but it is rarely seen because the most common way of mining sulfur is to make it dissolve with water while under ground (forming sulfuric acid), pump out the slurry, and then let the water evaporate, leaving sulfur. The picture above is less yellow than most samples, but has good crystals.

Where to find it in…

The Northwest: N/A
Other: Very common across the world, and anymore is usually harvested from natural gas instead of mined.
Past Uses: It is used to make sulfuric acid for batteries, detergent, explosives, etc. It has also been used as a dye, and is used in fertilizer.
How it was Made: Sulfur comes as a sublimate from volcanic gas and is found near volcanic vents.
Interesting Facts: Called the “burning rock” because it catches fire so easily (highly dangerous to do, though). Sulfur also feels warm when you touch it.