Minerals!!! Bryson, Paul, And Isaac!

What Are Minerals? A mineral is an element or chemical compound that is normally crystalline and that has been formed as a result of geological processes. Minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts, to complex compounds. Originally, a material could only be considered to be a mineral If it was not made from any organically derived material. But recently, an organic class of minerals was created. There are four ways a mineral can be formed: From molten rock, from solution, within living cells, and by recrystallization.

Minerals In Rocks Minerals are essentially the building blocks for rocks. Rocks are made up of several different minerals or mineraloids that have been compressed together. It is easy to see the different minerals that make up granite.

Physical Properties Of Minerals The physical properties of a mineral greatly depend on it’s crystal structure. For example: Diamond and graphite have the exact same chemical composition because they are both pure carbon. Even though they are both pure carbon, graphite is very soft, while diamond is the hardest of all known minerals. This difference is due to the difference in the arrangement of carbon atoms diamond and graphite.

Types Of Minerals Minerals are generally classified by their chemical composition. There are nine different classes of minerals: Silicate Class Carbonate Class Sulfate Class Halide Class Oxide Class Sulfide Class Phosphate Class Element Class (EX: Gold, Silver, and Copper) Organic Class

Dietary Minerals Dietary minerals are minerals that living organisms require to live. There are several different types of dietary minerals, each of which play a specific and important role in biological processes. These minerals are: Potassium Chloride Sodium Calcium Phosphorous Magnesium Zinc Iron Manganese Copper Iodine Selenium Molybdenum