Pyrite looks like gold but isn't. Quartz is the most common mineral.
Minerals, which are made up of elements, are the building blocks of rocks. Although only a few dozen minerals are common, approximately 3,500 minerals have been discovered so far, according to David Walker, Higgins Professor of Geology at Columbia University.
What Is a Mineral?
Calcite's special properties include a double refraction, acid reaction, and a U.V. glow.
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic, solid element or compound with a definite crystal form and a well-defined chemical composition.
Characteristic 1: Naturally Occurring
Found in clay pit mines, kaolinite writes like chalk but doesn't erase.
Minerals are the byproducts of geologic processes in nature and are not manufactured by humans in a laboratory.
Characteristic 2: Solid
Halite, or "rock salt," feels oily and tastes salty.
Minerals have no liquid or gas components at normal temperatures and pressures on the Earth's surface (see "Characteristic 4: Definite Crystal Form").
Characteristic 3: Inorganic
Coal, a fossil fuel, results from fossilized plant matter.
Scientists use the word "inorganic" to refer to the "nonliving portion of our world," as chemistry text book authors, Theodore Brown, H. LeMay, and Bruce Bursten write. More specifically, inorganic compounds (compounds are any combination of two or more elements) contain a combination of elements without any carbon. Scientists use the word "organic" to describe compounds made up of carbon plus another element or elements, usually hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur--elements found in all living organisms. To classify as a mineral, a substance must be inorganic and not the result of a biological or biochemical process, such as the decay of dead organisms.
Characteristic 4: Definite Crystal Form
Crystalline solids have a repeating pattern of atoms in any given direction.
A mineral's internal structure has a fixed and orderly geometric arrangement of atoms that are close together. Such an orderly molecular structure is said to be "crystalline" and is true of all solids.
Characteristic 5: Well-Defined (Definite) Chemical Composition
Antarcticite, a mineral found in Antarctica, contains calcium chloride (CaCl2).
Minerals have a homogenous chemistry, meaning the same elemental components are found throughout the mineral (see "Mineral Groups"), regardless of its purity.
Mineral Groups
Silicates, the most abundant mineral type, contain some metal plus silicon and oxygen--for example, olivine (Mg,Fe SiO2).
Nonsilicate mineral groups include native elements, oxides, sulfides, sulfates, and halides.
Native minerals, such as copper, silver, and gold, mean that an element has bonded only to itself.
Oxides, such as hematite (Fe2O3), contain some metal plus oxygen.
Sulfides, such as pyrite (FeS2), contain some metal and sulphur.
Halides, such as halite (NaCl), contain some metal plus chlorine.
Carbonates, such as calcite (CaCO3), contain some metal plus carbon and oxygen.
Sulfates, such as gypsum (CaSO 4), contain some metal plus sulfur and oxygen.
Tags: contain some, contain some metal, some metal, metal plus, some metal plus
