CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS

Explaining the five characteristics of a mineral

Minerals are very important in our lives. They can be used for energy, trade, and many other things.

The Characteristics There are five characteristics of minerals.

They determine whether a rock is a mineral or solid. The different types are:

Solid Formed by inorganic processes Naturally occurring Definite chemical composition Definite crystalline structure If a rock has at least three of these

characteristics then it is a mineral because some of these minerals don’t have the exact same characteristics.

1. Solid

A solid has to have a definite volume or shape although, all rocks have a solid shape. In rocks and minerals, particles are packed tightly. Unlike a liquid, a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a gas does.

2. Formed by Inorganic Processes

For a rock to be a mineral, it must form from non-living materials. The rock cannot come from something that is, or was living.

3. Naturally Occurring

Naturally occurring minerals were not formed from factories or anything.

4. Definite Chemical Composition

When a mineral is made of the same material throughout. Basically, made of the same thing, like lava or ice or one item. This mineral has one of these three materials in rocks.

5. Definite Crystallize Structure

Has crystals inside or outside. One example is a geode that has crystals inside.