Question

How are minerals and rocks related?

Answer 1

Hint: In our solar system, the earth is the only planet which can sustain life due to a combination of factors. These include the presence of water, various gases in the air, minerals and other organic compounds in the soil, etc. The surface of the Earth is covered 71% by water and 29% by land. The earth is made up of different layers— the crust, the mantle and the core. The crust is made up of geological structures like tectonic plates, rocks and soil which contain elements like oxygen, silicon, aluminium, iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc. The mantle is made up of semi-liquid silicate rocks rich in magnesium and iron. The outer core is made up of liquid nickel-iron alloy and the inner core is made up of solid iron.

Complete answer: Minerals are generally defined as naturally-occurring solid chemical compounds with specific chemical composition and a specific structure. The same chemical elements when arranged in different patterns show different characteristics which are why more than 4000 different minerals have been discovered on the planet. Most minerals are inorganic which means that they do not contain carbon-hydrogen molecules except for some minerals that contain some organic elements like gold, silver, diamond, and sulphur. Rocks, on the other hand, are solid masses that are an aggregate of minerals and mineraloid matter.

Note: Rocks have three main categories based on the process of their formation— igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Mineral resources are divided into two major categories— metallic and non-metallic minerals. Metallic minerals are further divided into ferrous and non-ferrous.