Minerals: Building blocks of rocks

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Minerals Building blocks of rocks
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What is a mineral?

• Naturally occurring
• Inorganic
• Solid
• Definite chemical composition
• Crystal structure

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How are minerals formed?

• Crystallization of melted material (magma)
• Slow cooling magma beneath the surface yields
  large crystals
• Rapidly cooling magma above the surface yields
  small crystals (grains or microscopic)

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How are minerals formed?

• Crystallization of materials dissolved in water
  (evaporation)
• size of crystals depend on the rate of
  evaporation

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• There are approximately 3,000 minerals 20 are
  common they are the rock forming minerals.