Mineral | Types & Uses | Britannica
Nov 12, 2024 · mineral, naturally occurring homogeneous solid with a definite chemical composition and a highly ordered atomic arrangement; it is usually formed by inorganic processes. There are several thousand known mineral species, about 100 of which constitute the major mineral components of rocks; these are the so-called rock-forming minerals.. Definition. …
Mineral - Classification, Properties, Types | Britannica
Nov 12, 2024 · Mineral - Classification, Properties, Types: Since the middle of the 19th century, minerals have been classified on the basis of their chemical composition. Under this scheme, they are divided into classes according to their dominant anion or anionic group (e.g., halides, oxides, and sulfides). Several reasons justify use of this criterion as the distinguishing factor at the …
Mineral - Occurrence, Formation, Compound | Britannica
Mineral - Occurrence, Formation, Compound: Minerals form in all geologic environments and thus under a wide range of chemical and physical conditions, such as varying temperature and pressure. The four main categories of mineral formation are: (1) igneous, or magmatic, in which minerals crystallize from a melt, (2) sedimentary, in which minerals are the result of …
mineral - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
Minerals are inorganic substances, meaning that they do not come from an animal or a plant. Mineralogy is the science of minerals. Mineralogists, or people who study minerals, have identified hundreds of minerals. Some of the most common minerals are metals —for example, gold, silver, copper, and platinum. Diamond, quartz, sulfur, mica, talc ...
Rock | Definition, Characteristics, Formation, Cycle, Classification ...
Oct 22, 2024 · rock, in geology, naturally occurring and coherent aggregate of one or more minerals. Such aggregates constitute the basic unit of which the solid Earth is composed and typically form recognizable and mappable volumes. Rocks are commonly divided into three major classes according to the processes that resulted in their formation. These classes are (1) …
Silicate mineral | Definition & Types | Britannica
Silicate mineral, any of a group of silicon-oxygen compounds that are widely distributed throughout much of the solar system. The silicates make up about 95 percent of Earth’s crust and upper mantle, occurring as the major constituents of most igneous rocks.
Obsidian | Rock, Color, Composition, & Uses | Britannica
Obsidian is extremely rich in silica (about 65 to 80 percent), is low in water, and has a chemical composition similar to rhyolite. Obsidian has a glassy lustre and is slightly harder than window glass. Though obsidian is typically jet-black in colour, the presence of hematite (iron oxide) produces red and brown varieties, and the inclusion of ...
Mineral - Hardness, Mohs Scale, Crystalline | Britannica
Nov 12, 2024 · Mineral - Hardness, Mohs Scale, Crystalline: Hardness (H) is the resistance of a mineral to scratching. It is a property by which minerals may be described relative to a standard scale of 10 minerals known as the Mohs scale of hardness. The degree of hardness is determined by observing the comparative ease or difficulty with which one mineral is scratched by another …
Vitamin | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Oct 25, 2024 · vitamin B 1. component of a coenzyme in carbohydrate metabolism; supports normal nerve function. impairment of the nerves and heart muscle wasting. riboflavin. vitamin B 2. component of coenzymes required for energy production and lipid, vitamin, mineral, and drug metabolism; antioxidant. inflammation of the skin, tongue, and lips; ocular ...
Rare-earth element | Uses, Properties, & Facts | Britannica
Sep 26, 2024 · That mineral was a mixture of rare earths, and the first individual element to be isolated was cerium in 1803. Britannica Quiz. Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz. The history of the individual rare-earth elements is both complex and confused, mainly because of their chemical similarity. Many “newly discovered elements” were not ...