Minerals
Natural solids with fixed composition.
Rocks
Most rocks are mixtures. Their parts can be seen with the eyes, a magnifying glass or a microscope.
What are the parts of a rock?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Most rocks are mixtures of minerals, natural solid substances with a fixed chemical composition; most minerals are compounds, but native minerals are pure elements, either metals or non-metals.
Rocks
Most rocks are mixtures. Their parts can be seen with the eyes, a magnifying glass or a microscope.
What are the parts of a rock?
- Minerals
- Alloys
- Gases
Sort the minerals
Tap the bin where each mineral belongs.
What minerals are
Minerals are natural, solid substances found on Earth with a fixed chemical composition.
Minerals are natural solid substances with a fixed chemical composition. Most are compounds. Native minerals are pure elements: metals like gold, silver, copper, or non-metals like sulfur, carbon.
Notes
Minerals: natural solids with fixed composition. Most are compounds; native minerals are elements.
Check yourself
Most rocks are …
Native minerals are …
Which of these is a native mineral?
Most minerals are …
- single pure elements. Most rocks are mixtures of minerals.
- mixtures of minerals — correct. Yes!
- liquids. Rocks are solids made of minerals.
- always compounds. Native minerals are pure elements.
- alloys. Native minerals are pure elements.
- pure elements — correct. Yes!
- Copper — correct. Yes!
- Quartz. Quartz is a compound.
- Calcite. Calcite is a compound.
- pure gold. Most are compounds.
- compounds made of more than one element — correct. Yes!
- gases. Minerals are solids.