A naturally occurring substance, representable by a chemical formula, that is usually solid and inorganic, and has a crystal structure
A mineral, by definition, is. . . 1  Inorganic, which means that it is not made by a living organism. 2  A solid. 3  There is one unusual exception. 4  Native mercury is a mineral and is the only metal that is a liquid at normal temperatures. 5  Has a regular crystal structure. 6  The crystal structures are described as crystal systems. Definition. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Geologists define a mineral as: This excludes man-made substances (e.g. synthetic diamonds), organic substances (e.g. chitin), and substances without a fixed composition which are classified as mineraloids (e.g. volcanic glass [obsidian]). A mineral, by definition, is. . . 1  Inorganic, which means that it is not made by a living organism. 2  A solid. 3  Has a regular crystal structure. 4  Made by nature which means minerals are not made, directly or indirectly, from human activity. 5  Has a predictable chemical formula. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance, representable by a chemical formula, that is usually solid and inorganic, and has a crystal structure. It is different from a rock, which can be an aggregate of minerals or non-minerals and does not have a specific chemical composition. There are also minerals which form both by inorganic and organic processes. For example, calcite (CaCO 3) is a common vein mineral in rocks, and also a shell-forming material in many life forms. Calcite of organic origin conforms to the above definition except for the requirement that it be inorganic. 1 A mineral is an element or chemical compound that is normally crystalline and that has been formed as a result of geological processes (Nickel, E. H., 1995).  2 Minerals are naturally-occurring inorganic substances with a definite and predictable chemical composition and physical properties.. ( 3 O' Donoghue, 1990). This is a much broader definition of mineral than the earth science definition. When used this way, the word may include minerals as geologically defined, rocks as geologically defined, and sediment (gravel, sand, clay). Minerals differ from rocks, which are naturally occurring solids composed of one or more minerals. Rocks do not have a distinctive chemical composition or crystal structure. The earth science definition, however, is not always used to defin
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