Minerals How Minerals Form

Geode A Geode is a rounded hollow rock that is often lined with mineral crystals. Geodes form when water containing dissolved minerals leak into a crack in the rock and become deposited.

Crystallization The water containing minerals slowly begins to crystalize in the geode. Crystallization is the process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure.

Minerals Form Magma and Lava Magma is one of the causes of crystals. Magma is molten material from inside Earth that hardens to form rock. When magma reaches the surface it is called Lava.

Minerals Form Magma and Lava Minerals form as hot magma cools inside Earth, or as lava hardens on the surface. When these liquids cool to a solid state, they form crystals. Crystals that form slower deeper in the earth are larger then those that cool quickly near the surface.

Minerals From Solution Sometimes minerals form from solutions of chemicals. A solutions is a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another. When elements that are dissolved in water leave a solution, crystallization occurs.

Minerals formed by evaporation from a Solution Some minerals form when the solution evaporates leaving crystals behind.

Minerals From Hot Water Solutions Deep underground magma heat water to a high temperature. Minerals from the rocks along the water dissolve into it. The water cools depositing its minerals to form crystals. Veins can formed because of this. A vein is a narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is different from the surrounding rock.