Mineral

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
"Mineral" redirects here. For the town in the US state of Virginia, see Mineral,
Virginia.
Minerals are substances that are formed naturally in the Earth. Rocks are made of
minerals.
Minerals are usually solid, inorganic, have a crystal structure, and form naturally by
geological processes.[1]
The study of minerals is called mineralogy.[2]
A mineral can be made of single chemical element or more usually a compound.
There are over 4,000 types of known minerals. [3] Two common minerals
are quartz and feldspar.

Contents

 1Characteristics of minerals
o 1.1Minerals and rocks
o 1.2Formed in nature
o 1.3Solid
o 1.4Definite chemical makeup
 2Some uses of minerals
 3Related pages
 4References
 5Other websites

Characteristics of minerals[change | change source]

Labradorite feldspar displaying typical labradorescence

A mineral is a substance that usually

 is an inorganic solid. (elemental mercury is an exception)[3]p184[4]

 Has a definite chemical make-up
 usually has a crystal structure; some do not
 is formed naturally by geological processes
One recent definition is:
"A mineral is a homogeneous (which means composed of parts or elements
that are all of the same kind) naturally occurring substance with a definite
but not necessarily fixed chemical composition. Most minerals are solids
with an ordered atomic arrangement, and most are inorganic in the chemical
sense of that word".[1]
Alternatively, a mineral is one listed as such by the International Mineralogical
Association.[3]
Minerals and rocks[change | change source]
Minerals are different from rocks. A mineral is a chemical compound with a
given composition and a defined crystal structure.[5] A rock is a mixture of one or
several minerals, in varying proportions.
A rock has only two of the characteristics minerals have–it is a solid and it
forms naturally. A rock usually contains two or more types of minerals. Two
samples of the same type of rock may have different kinds of minerals in them.
Minerals are always made up of the same materials in nearly the same
proportions. A ruby is a mineral. Therefore, a ruby found in India has similar
makeup as a ruby found in Australia.
Formed in nature[change | change source]
Minerals are formed by natural processes. A few substances with the same
chemical composition as minerals can be produced by living creatures as part
of their shells or bones. The shells of molluscs are composed of
either calcite or aragonite, or both.
Traditionally, chemicals produced by living things are not considered minerals.
However, it is difficult to see why an organic substance should not be called a
mineral if its chemical nature and its crystalline structure is identical with its
inorganic twin. This issue is now under debate: see Railsback part II. [1]

Esquel slice. It is a stony-iron meteorite, type pallasite

Minerals form in many ways. The mineral halite, which is used as table salt,
forms when water evaporates in a hot, shallow part of the ocean, leaving
behind the salt it contained. Many types of minerals are made when molten
rock, or magma cools and turns into a solid. Talc, a mineral that can be used to
make baby powder, forms deep in Earth as high pressure and temperature
causes changes in solid rock.
The extraordinary thing is, that most minerals owe their formation to life, or at
least to the Great Oxygenation Event. "Sturdy minerals rather than fragile
organic remains may provide the most robust and lasting signs of biology". [6][7]
Solid[change | change source]

Corundum

A mineral is a solid—that is, it has a definite volume and a rough shape.

Volume refers to the amount of space an object takes up. For example, a golf
ball has a smaller volume than a baseball, and a baseball has a smaller volume
than a basketball.
A substance that is a liquid or a gas is not a mineral. However, in some cases
its solid form is a mineral. For instance, liquid water is not a mineral, but ice is.
Definite chemical makeup[change | change source]
Each mineral has a definite chemical makeup: it consists of a specific
combination of atoms of certain elements. An element is a substance that
contains only one type of atom.
Scientists can classify minerals into groups on the basis of their chemical
makeup. Though there are thousands of different minerals, only about 30 are
common in Earth's crust. These 30 minerals make up most rocks in the crust.
For that reason, they are called rock-forming minerals.

 Silicates are most common group. All the minerals in this group

contain oxygen and silicon—the two most common elements in Earth's
crust—joined together. Silicates may include other elements such
as aluminium, magnesium, iron and calcium. Quartz, feldspar, and mica are
common silicates.
 Carbonates are the second most common group of rock-forming minerals is
the carbonates. All the minerals in this group contain carbon and oxygen
joined together. Calcite, which is common in seashells, is
a carbonate mineral.
 Oxides include the minerals from which most metals, such
as tin and copper, are refined. An oxide consists of an element, usually a
metal, joined to oxygen. This group includes haematite, a source of iron.

Brazilianite

 Sulphates contain the sulphate group SO4. Sulphates commonly form

in evaporites where highly salty waters slowly evaporate, allowing sulfates
and halides to precipitate where the water evaporates. Sulphates also occur
where hot waters are forced through the rock, as with geysers.
There are many other mineral groups.

Some uses of minerals[change | change source]

People use minerals for many everyday purposes. Every time people turn on
a microwave oven or a TV, minerals are being used. The copper in the wires
that carry electricity to the machine is made from a mineral. Table salt or halite,
is another mineral that people use in their everyday life.

 Graphite is used to make pencils

 Rock salt is used in cooking
 Mineral ores are the source of metals.

Related pages[change | change source]

 List of minerals

References[change | change source]
1. ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 L.B. Railsback Definitions [1] Archived 2013-03-02 at the Wayback
Machine and [2] Archived 2012-09-15 at the Wayback Machine
2. ↑ Dana J.D. Hurlbut C.S. & Klein C. 1985. Manual of mineralogy. 20th ed, Wiley.
3. ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 3.2 International Mineralogical Association IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral
Names Archived 2012-09-11 at WebCite (PDF 1.8 MB;)
4. ↑ Minsocam
5. ↑ Levin H. 2006. The Earth through time. 8th ed, Wiley. p48: Minerals and their properties.
6. ↑ Hazen, Robert M. Evolution of minerals: looking at the mineral kingdom through the lens
of deep time leads to a startling conclusion: most mineral species owe their existence to
life. Scientific American, March 2010.
7. ↑ Rosing, Minik T. 2008. On the evolution of minerals. Nature 456 p457.
 Other websites[change | change source]
  Media related to Minerals at Wikimedia Commons
 Some common minerals and their uses Archived 2008-12-18 at
the Wayback Machine
 Rock salt Archived 2004-12-10 at the Wayback Machine

Mineral - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia