define a mineral as a substance that is
natural which means that humans don't
manufacture it is a solid that is it
keeps its form at room temperature and
has a distinct chemical makeup which
means it has a specific chemical formula
that's consistent throughout the mineral
this is true whether the mineral is made
of a single element or of a combination
of elements a specific chemical makeup
distinguishes minerals from rocks which
are mixtures of many different materials
in addition to these qualities most
meteorologists agree that minerals are a
biogenic that is not produced in living
organisms and that they have atoms that
are arranged in a specific order this
property results in many minerals taken
the form of crystals meteorologists have
identified almost 5000 unique kinds of
minerals they're classified by physical
properties such as color hardness luster
how they reflect light and radio
activity despite Earth's wide variety of
minerals about 90% of our planet's crust
is made up of minerals composed largely
of silicon and oxygen called silicate
minerals the most common silicate
minerals are called feldspar and quartz
minerals don't just make up the earth
they also make up about 4 percent of
your body mass because minerals can't be
made by the body it's important that we
get them in our diet some of the more
important ones include calcium and
phosphorus important for bones and teeth
iron essential in red blood cells and
potassium and sodium required for
healthy nerve cells we also require
trace minerals like copper zinc and
iodine humans use minerals in everything
from cereals to batteries to shampoos to
pet foods in fact at least 30 minerals
