Some Basics about Rocks and Minerals.

Minerals serve a very specific and important purpose on this planet and this is what has made mineral and chemicals gain so much of popularity. These naturally occurring inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure are generally composed of more than one element or compound. Researchers have discovered more than 4000 varieties of mineral compounds each one having exquisite spectrum of colors, bizarre shapes, distinct appearances and trading values.

Minerals are generally formed in a huge variety of geological environments like under the ocean beds, deep inside volcano’s, deserts, salt lakes etc. Most of the minerals are formed under the influence of pressure or heat, when gases and other chemical solutions carrying concentrations of specific elements cool or evaporate and minerals growths are deposited inside rock fissures or voids. Minerals don't necessarily need heat or pressure to be formed.

Rocks are the aggregates of one or more minerals deposits. A rock may also include some organic remains. Thus the intensity of specific minerals in a rock varies a lot. Some minerals like mica, feldspar or quartz are quite common, while others are rarely found in only a few locations worldwide. The largest discovered group of minerals by far is the silicates, which are composed largely of silicon and oxygen, with the addition of ions such as iron, aluminum, calcium, magnesium. Some important rock-forming silicates include the feldspars, quartz, micas, pyroxenes, garnets, and amphiboles.

Valuable minerals that are of commercial importance are generally referred to as industrial minerals. These naturally occurring minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts to very complex silicates with thousands of known forms. The study of minerals is called mineralogy.