Mineral and Rocks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mineral and Rocks - Essay Example There is one universal physical property which is common in all the minerals i.e. all the minerals exist in solid form in nature and cannot be in the form of liquids. Moreover minerals have come into existence by the natural activities and the changes which took place during the evolution of the planet earth and human activities have no involvement in the creation of minerals, â€Å"Earth Science: A Scientific History of the Solid Earth†, Michael Allaby (2009). Chemical formulas depict the chemical composition of the chemical compounds and minerals are also classified as chemical compounds. The structure of most of the minerals falls under the category of the crystalline structured solids. The elements in minerals are arranged as crystals. According to â€Å"Earth Science: A Scientific History of the Solid Earth†, Michael Allaby (2009), almost all of the minerals are inorganic in nature. One of the examples of minerals is common salt (sodium chloride). Common salt has a ll the characteristics which have been identified for a mineral. Being solid, composed of chemical compounds, it is inorganic. Moreover common salt is created as a result of natural phenomena and its structure is crystallized. The chemical association of silicon and oxygen yields silicate minerals. These silicate minerals are then added on by other elements which give particular properties to the silicates. According to the elements and crystals which join the silicate minerals are iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), sodium (Na), and calcium (Ca). The structure of silicate minerals is the basis of their classification in different groups. The different silicate groups include Micas, Quartz, Amphibole group, Olivine group and Pyroxene group. Micas and Quartz contain Biotite and Muscovite groups. Moreover Feldspars which make half of the Earth crust are also silicate minerals and are further classified as Potassium Feldspar and Plagioclase. The mineral rocks have been classified into three basic groups on the basis of their origin; these groups are sedimentary rocks, igneous rocks, and metamorphic rocks. Certain natural processes resulted in the formation of these rocks. Magma is a molten material which is present deep inside the Earth and is molten because of the high temperatures inside the Earth. Magma is the source of formation of the igneous rocks which are formed as a result to freezing and thawing of the Magma. The molten material is pushed upward to the ground and is cooled by the natural processes. After cooling the resultant solid material is known as igneous rocks. The second type of rocks is the sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks as the name signifies are layered rocks with different layers of materials lying closely over each other resulting into a rock solid material known as sedimentary rocks. The weathering processes which includes erosion deposited various minerals from one place to other, these layers of minerals resulted into the forma tion of sedimentary rocks. When the same sedimentary rocks and igneous rocks are subjected to conditions of high temperature and pressure their structure changes somewhat and yield another category of rocks which is known as metamorphic rocks â€Å"Petrology: Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary†, Harvey Blatt, Robert Tracy, Edward Owens (2006). The three categories of the mineral rocks h