1. Chapter 4 - Minerals

2. What is a Mineral? Earth’s crust is composed of about 3000 minerals
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a specific chemical composition and a definite crystalline structure

3. Mineral Definition Naturally occurring and inorganic
Minerals are formed by natural processes
Inorganic means minerals were a living organism
Solids with specific compositions
Most minerals are made of compounds
Definite crystalline structure
The atoms in minerals are arranged in regular geometric patterns

4. Minerals form from Magma
Minerals can form from the cooling of magma
Magma is the molten material found beneath Earth’s surface
If the magma has more time to cool the atoms have time to arrange themselves, which results in a larger crystal
If the magma cools off more rapidly the crystals will be smaller

5. Minerals from Solution
A certain amount of water can only dissolve so much of a solid before the water becomes saturated
In nature, if a solution becomes supersaturated, or overfilled, mineral crystals begin to form