A mineral is an inorganic, crystalline solid with a specific chemical formula and crystal pattern. A rock is made up of one or more minerals. Types of rock, such as granite, have certain minerals which they commonly contain, but they do not have a specific chemical formula or crystal structure.
Crystal Structure
All minerals have an ordered, crystalline molecular structure, and specific types of minerals always form the same shapes of crystals. If crystals are visible, you are looking at a mineral. Some mineral crystals are too small to be seen without a microscope or x-ray diffraction.
Chemical Composition
Unlike rocks, each mineral has a very specific chemical formula, meaning that each molecule of the mineral contains the same atoms in the same arrangements. A rock can contain many different minerals and therefore have no consistent chemistry throughout. The only exception are rocks that are made up of only one mineral; for instance, sandstone is a rock mostly made up of the mineral calcite.
Rarity
There are many different types of rock, but far more individual minerals. Most rocks are made up of a mixture of just a handful of the most common minerals, such as quartz, feldspar, mica and calcite. Over 4,000 different minerals exist, most of which are incredibly rare.
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