Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic compounds ("non-living material").

• A mineral is a solid material, made of one substance, that occurs naturally on Earth.

• Most of the common minerals are made of crystals.

• A Crystal is a solid formed by a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms, ions, or molecules and having fixed distances between the different parts.

• Minerals that do not grow in these regular or crystalline patterns are called Amorphous solids.

• Some minerals can be both crystalline and amorphous.

• The two photos below show a crystalline quartz specimen and an amorphous quartz specimen.

 

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