Rocks and mineral

A mineral is a solid, inorganic, naturally-formed substance that has a crystalline structure and
specific chemical composition. I know that's a lot to take in, so let's break down this definition piece
by piece.
First of all, minerals are solid and formed naturally in the earth. Natural solids can be familiar things
like sand, granite, salt and wood. Our definition says that minerals are inorganic, which means that
they do not consist of tissues from living things. So, that means that wood is not a mineral.

It also says that minerals have a crystalline structure. That means that the component atoms of the
substance have a repeating, 3-dimensional arrangement. Above is a picture showing how the atoms
of salt are arranged. Salt is also called sodium chloride because it is made of two types of atoms:
sodium and chlorine. The sodium and chlorine atoms are put together in a very specific, 3-
dimensional lattice that repeats over and over until you get to the end of the salt crystal. Yes, it's a
crystal! I know you typically don't think of salt as being a crystal. But it is, and so is sand. Sand is just
tiny chunks of quartz crystal, made by a pattern of silicon and oxygen atoms.
What about our last substance, granite? It's solid. It's formed naturally in the earth. It's inorganic. But,
does it have a specific chemical composition? Does it have a regular, repeating atomic
arrangement? No, granite may be made up of minerals, but it's not a mineral itself. It's a rock.

Rocks
A rock is a solid, inorganic, naturally-formed substance without a particular atomic structure or
chemical composition. It's probably easier to just remember that rocks are made up of two or more
minerals. Examples of rocks include granite, limestone, marble, pumice, obsidian, sandstone, shale
and slate. Each of these rocks consists of several different minerals, which are mixed up inside the
rock through a variety of geologic processes.
Let's take granite, for example. Granite is mostly composed of three minerals: quartz, feldspar and
mica. Each of these minerals can be found alone in nature, but here, they are mixed up inside of the
rock. Sometimes you see large chunks of one of these minerals inside of the granite. But, when you
take the stone as a whole, you have to call it a rock.
Other rocks are much finer grained than granite, so it's not easy to spot the different minerals. Slate
is a rock that was made from clay, and clay is composed of tiny, tiny particles. Those particles can
be minerals like quartz, pyrite, apatite, muscovite, feldspar, kaolinite, biotite, tourmaline - the list
goes on! But, you can't see these minerals inside of a slate rock. The slate looks all the same color
and texture. Still, it's not a mineral because it has no regular atomic structure or chemical
composition. Rocks are made of minerals, and minerals stand alone.
Rocks formed mineral
Rocks are composed of minerals. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance which is usually
solid, crystalline, stable at room temperature and inorganic.

There are almost 5000 known mineral species, yet the vast majority of rocks are formed from
combinations of a few common minerals, referred to as “rock-forming minerals”. The rock-
forming minerals are: feldspars, quartz, amphiboles, micas, olivine, garnet, calcite, pyroxenes.

Minerals occurring within a rock in small quantities are referred to as “accessory minerals”.
Although accessory minerals are present in only small amounts, they may provide valuable insight
into the geological history of a rock, and are often used to ascertain the age of a rock. Common
accessory minerals are: zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, tourmaline, pyrite and other opaques.

The abundance and diversity of minerals depend on the abundance in the Earth’s crust of the
elements of which they are composed. Eight elements make up 98% of the Earth’s crust: oxygen,
silicon, aluminium, iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium. The composition of minerals
formed by igneous processes is directly controlled by the chemistry of the parent body. For
example, a magma rich in iron and magnesium will form minerals such as olivine and pyroxene (as
found in basalt). Magma richer in silicon will form more silica-rich minerals such as feldspar and
quartz (as found in granite). It is unlikely that a mineral will be found in a rock with dissimilar
bulk chemistry unlike its own; thus it is unlikely that andalusite (Al2SiO5) would be found in an
aluminium-poor rock such as a quartzite.

Igneous rocks
Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ignis meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the
three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed
through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. The magma can be derived from partial
melts of existing rocks in either a planet's mantle or crust. Typically, the melting is caused by one or
more of three processes: an increase in temperature, a decrease in pressure, or a change in
composition. Solidification into rock occurs either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the
surface as extrusive rocks. Igneous rock may form with crystallization to form granular, crystalline
rocks, or without crystallization to form natural glasses. Igneous rocks occur in a wide range of
geological settings: shields, platforms, orogens, basins, large igneous provinces, extended crust and
oceanic crust

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of small
particles and subsequent cementation of mineral or organic particles on the floor of oceans or other
bodies of water at the Earth's surface. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause
these particles to settle in place. The particles that form a sedimentary rock are called sediment, and
may be composed of geological detritus (minerals) or biological detritus (organic matter). Before
being deposited, the geological detritus was formed by weathering and erosion from the source
area, and then transported to the place of deposition by water, wind, ice, mass
movement or glaciers, which are called agents of denudation. Biological detritus was formed by
bodies and parts (mainly shells) of dead aquatic organisms, as well as their fecal mass, suspended
in water and slowly piling up on the floor of water bodies (marine snow). Sedimentation may also
occur as dissolved minerals precipitate from water solution.
The sedimentary rock cover of the continents of the Earth's crust is extensive (73% of the Earth's
current land surface[1]), but the total contribution of sedimentary rocks is estimated to be only 8% of
the total volume of the crust.[2] Sedimentary rocks are only a thin veneer over a crust consisting
mainly of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Sedimentary rocks are deposited in layers as strata,
forming a structure called bedding. The study of sedimentary rocks and rock strata provides
information about the subsurface that is useful for civil engineering, for example in the construction
of roads, houses, tunnels, canals or other structures. Sedimentary rocks are also important sources
of natural resources like coal, fossil fuels, drinking water or ores.
The study of the sequence of sedimentary rock strata is the main source for an understanding of
the Earth's history, including palaeogeography, paleoclimatology and the history of life. The scientific
discipline that studies the properties and origin of sedimentary rocks is called sedimentology.
Sedimentology is part of both geology and physical geography and overlaps partly with other
disciplines in the Earth sciences, such as pedology, geomorphology, geochemistry and structural
geology. Sedimentary rocks have also been found on Mars

METAMORPHIC ROCKS
A metamorphic rock is a type of rock which has been changed by extreme heat and pressure. Its
name is from 'morph' (meaning form), and 'meta' (meaning change).[1]
The original rock gets heated (temperatures greater than 150 to 200 °C) and pressured
(1500 bars).[2] This causes profound physical and/or chemical change. The original rock may
be sedimentary rock, igneous rock or another older metamorphic rock.
There is always more pressure and higher temperature under the Earth's surface. In the root of
a mountain chain or a volcano these forces will be enough to change shape of the strata and
the minerals it is made of. Sedimentary rock which has been near such forces often looks as if
a giant had twisted it and heated it over a fire. Examples of metamorphic rock:

 Marble is a metamorphic rock formed from limestone.

 Slate is a metamorphic mudstone or shale.
 Quartzite is a metamorphic sandstone.
The recrystallisation of minerals after heating generally causes the destruction of any fossils the
rocks might have contained. These rocks are formed when igneous or sedimantory rocks are
subjected to extreme heat and pressure as a result they undergo a complete change in their form
and characterstics. Such form rocks are called metamorphic rocks.