The crystals are shaped like prisms or flat plates, and can grow up to 1 meter.
Most gypsum is used in the building and agricultural industries.
As a building material, it's used in plaster, plaster of Paris, wallboard, cement, and ceramic tiles. In agriculture, it's used as an amendment to neutralize alkaline soil. Common around the world, gypsum is found primarily in sedimentary rock. In North America, crystals can be found in New York, Utah, and Oklahoma. In this region, gypsum is mined and processed in a major production plant, located in the aptly named Plaster City between Ocotillo and El Centro.