i need an explanation.
2006-09-04 05:44:38 · 3 answers · asked by APew! 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
i need a 6th grade explanation lol.but sand did have a pretty good explantaion.thx .but i need sum more answers tho.
2006-09-04 05:59:50 · update #1
geo, wat grade r u in??
2006-09-04 06:39:39 · update #2
The vast majority of minerals are silicates. There are also oxides, phosphates, hydroxides, sulfides, chlorides, and others.
Single element minerals are very rare - gold, platinum, iron, silver, bismuth, diamonds, graphite, and copper come to mind. Some people would say mercury is a native element, but it is not crytalline, and therefore is not a mineral.
So the answer to your question is compounds. I'm not sure if anybody has done a statistical calculation of the relative volume of single-element minerals versus compounds, but I'm sure that well over 99.99% of minerals are compounds.
In your example, sand is composed mostly of quartz which is a crystalline compound (SiO2), but may also contain feldspar (varieties of NaCaKAlSi3O8) and other minerals.
2006-09-04 05:53:55 · answer #1 · answered by minefinder 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the elementary team includes metals and intermetallic components (gold, silver, copper), semi-metals and non-metals (antimony, bismuth, graphite, sulfur). This team additionally includes organic alloys, including electrum (a organic alloy of gold and silver), phosphides, silicides, nitrides and carbides (that are oftentimes in user-friendly terms got here upon needless to say in some uncommon meteorites). The organic and organic mineral classification includes biogenic components wherein geological techniques have been an section of the genesis or foundation of the present compound.[2] Minerals of the organic and organic classification comprise diverse oxalates, mellitates, citrates, cyanates, acetates, formates, hydrocarbons and different miscellaneous species.[3] Examples comprise whewellite, moolooite, mellite, fichtelite, carpathite, evenkite and abelsonite.
2016-12-14 17:57:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Minerals are generally compounds of many different elements. Metals found in nature can be found in a pure form (one single element), but only rarely.
2006-09-04 05:52:00 · answer #3 · answered by sandislandtim 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋