Quiz: How Much You Know About Rocks And Minerals?

Minerals are solid chemical compounds with a well-defined crystal lattice that repeats itself in space. Minerals can be made up of one or more elements in various chemical formulas. Even the same element can be found as different minerals if the lattice geometry is changed, e.g. graphite and diamond are both made up of carbon. On the other hand, rocks are an unconsolidated structure of two or more minerals. There are basically three types of rocks, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Minerals vary in their physical and chemical properties, and so do rocks. There are over 5,500 types of minerals identified by the IMA at present. Often minerals have peculiar colors due to the presence of an impurity. Some rocks are made entirely of one type of minerals like Limestone is made up of calcite or aragonite. The most common minerals found in rocks are quartz, feldspar, mica, amphiboles, pyroxenes, etc. These are also called rock-forming minerals. Let's know more about Rocks And Minerals!