14 Facts You Should Know About Minerals

Minerals are the essential building blocks of rocks and soils. They are also found in water, plants, and animals. Minerals are essential for life, and they play a role in many different bodily functions.

1- A mineral is a naturally occurring substance, representable by a chemical formula, that is usually solid and inorganic, and has a crystal structure.

2-There are over 5,300 known mineral species; over 5,070 of these have been approved by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). but only about 100 minerals are common.

3- Minerals are formed through a variety of geological processes, including the cooling and crystallization of magma, the evaporation of seawater, and the weathering of rocks. Minerals can also be formed by the precipitation of chemicals from water.

14 Facts You Should Know About Minerals. Photos from the left to right. Tourmaline Majesty credit: Orbital Joe.|| Zoisite var. Tanzanite photo: mim museum.|| Elbaite with albite and Lepidolite.|| Rubellite Tourmaline, Quartz, MIca, Cleavelandite and Orthoclase. © DI (FH) Rudolf Watzl || Fluorite on sphalerite (Elmwood, TN, USA) || A slice of an amethyst by Rob Lavinsky|

4-Minerals can be classified into different groups based on their chemical composition. Some of the most common groups include silicates, carbonates, sulfates, and oxides. The silicate minerals compose over 90% of the Earth's crust. Silicon and oxygen constitute approximately 75% of the Earth's crust, which translates directly into the predominance of silicate minerals. 

5- Minerals can be described by various physical properties which relate to their chemical structure and composition. Common distinguishing characteristics include crystal structure and habit, hardness, lustre, diaphaneity, colour, streak, tenacity, cleavage, fracture, parting, and specific gravity. More specific tests for minerals include magnetism, taste or smell, radioactivity and reaction to acid.  (How to Identify Minerals in 10 Steps (Photos))

Amazing Azurite found in Bisbee Arizona!

6- The hardest mineral on Earth is diamond. Diamond is a carbon mineral that is formed under high pressure and temperature.

7-The most abundant mineral in the Earth's mantle is olivine. Olivine is a silicate mineral that is found in mafic and ultramafic rocks.

8-Minerals are not equivalent to rocks. A rock is either an aggregate of one or more minerals, or not composed of minerals at all. (The Difference Between Rocks and Minerals)

Chalcopyrite covering chalcocite from Daye mine, China. Photo by John Veevaert

9-The abundance and diversity of minerals is controlled directly by their chemistry, in turn dependent on elemental abundances in the Earth.

10- The softest mineral on Earth is talc. Talc is a silicate mineral that is used in a variety of products, including cosmetics and baby powder.

11- Minerals are used in a wide variety of industrial and commercial applications. For example, metals such as iron, aluminum, and copper are extracted from minerals. Minerals are also used in the production of fertilizers, ceramics, and other materials.

Wulfenite and mimetite - Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Mun. de Mapimí, Durango, Mexico Credit: Montanpark

12- Differences in crystal structure and chemistry greatly influence other physical properties of the mineral. The carbon allotropes diamond and graphite have vastly different properties.

13- Three main groups of minerals are identified on the basis of the Property of color: idiochromatic, allochromatic, and pseudochro-matic. 

• Idiochromatic minerals are "self colored" due to their composition. The color is a constant and predictable component of the mineral. Examples are blue Azurite, red Cinnabar, and green Malachite.

• Allochromatic minerals are "other colored" due to trace impurities in their composition or defects in their structure. In this case, the color is a variable and unpredictable property of the mineral. Examples are the blue in Amazonite (orthoclase), yellow in Heliodor (spodumene) and the rose in rose quartz.

• Pseudochromatic minerals are "false colored" due to tricks in light diffraction. In these cases, color is variable but a unique property of the mineral. Examples are the colors produced by precious opal and the shiller reflections of labradorite.