Fireworks in Nagaoka, Japan. The vibrant colors are made possible by minerals.gettyThere would be no bright and colorful fireworks without rocks and minerals.A firework is produced by launching a shell containing fuel and a color mix high into the air, where it explodes. This explosion propels brightly burning particles in all directions, creating streaks of light in the air.Mixing coal with saltpeter creates gunpowder, the most basic firework fuel used already in ancient China. Nitratine, a highly reactive mineral, is the natural form of sodium-nitrate utilized as an oxidizer in fireworks, supporting the combustion of the fuel.The vibrant colors in a firework don't come directly from the burning fuel, as burning gunpowder results only in a weak yellow, but metallic minerals that are deliberately added to the mix. As the fuel burns at a very high temperature of over 1,000 degrees Celsius, the atoms in the crystal structure release energy emitting a specific wavelength of light that we perceive as a distinct color.The element barium produces green light. Barium is obtained from the barium-sulfate baryte. The baryte group also includes the strontium-sulfate mineral celestite.Baryte crystal on matrix from Cerro Huarihuyn, Peru.gettyMORE FOR YOUStrontium is one of the most abundant elements in the Earths crust. However, only two carbonate mineralscelestite and strontianitecontain enough strontium for commercial use. Celestite is named for its sky-blue color and is the principal source for strontium, an element that produces purple light if burned in a firework.Celestite crystals from Morocco.gettyThe element calcium will produce yellow light. Named from the Latin word meaning lime, calcium is very common in limestone rocks composed of calcite and dolomite.A single calcite crystal.gettyThe elements sodium and cadmium will produce yellow light. Most sodium is obtained nowadays by processing the mineral halite, also known as common table salt. But sodium occurs in many other minerals, including silicates like amphibole, zeolite and the fluorite mineral cryolite. Cadmium minerals are very rare and include cadmoselite, greenockite and otavite. Cadmium can replace zinc in sphalerite and similar sulfide minerals, so most is recovered during the industrial processing of zinc-, copper- and lead-ores.Close-up of the cadmium mineral greenockite.De Agostini via Getty ImagesBurning magnesium, titanium and aluminum will emit a bright white light, adding brightness to a firework. Aluminum and magnesium also will significantly heat up the burning mix, reaching temperatures of almost 2,000 degrees Celsius.Magnesium is found in magnesium-bearing carbonate minerals like dolomite and magnesite. Other less common magnesium minerals are kieserite and brucite. However, nowadays, most elemental magnesium is obtained by electrolysis of magnesium chloride, which can be obtained in virtually unlimited quantities from salt water.Tiny dolomite crystals forming a dolostone.gettyAluminum is the most abundant metallic element in the Earths crust and can be obtained from bauxite ore. Bauxite is geologically speaking a sedimentary rock, as it is a mix of minerals like gibbsite, bhmite and diaspore, and forms by intense weathering of granitic rocks rich in feldspar and mica.Bauxite ore with high content of reddish aluminum oxide.gettyThe element titanium occurs within a number of iron and oxide minerals, principally rutile and ilmenite, which are widely distributed in Earth's crust.Rutile on matrix from Valle Cervo, Italy.gettyBlue to green light is produced by burning copper and manganese. Copper is found in many carbonate minerals like azurite and malachite. Other sources for copper are chalcocite, a sulfide named after the Greek word for copper, the copper silver sulfide acanthite, and the rare copper iron sulfide bornite. Most copper, however, comes from chalcopyrite, a very common copper iron sulfide.Green malachite from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.gettyManganese easily reacts with water and air. On Earth, manganese is never found as a free element, but it is found in a number of minerals. The most important of these minerals is the manganese dioxide pyrolusite.Pyrolusite ore is a mineral basically composed of manganese dioxide.gettyBurning cobalt will produce blue light. Cobaltite is a mineral composed of cobalt, arsenic, iron and sulfur. Although rare, it is mined as a significant source of this strategically important metal, as most modern technology will not work without cobalt alloys. Traces of cobalt can be found also in more common minerals like carrollite, a sulfide combining nickel, copper and cobalt, and linnaeite, a cobalt nickel sulfide.A single cobaltite crystal on rock matrix.getty