how are rocks and minerals different?

Answer 1

A rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.

A mineral is a solid and have a crystal structure. It must also be an inorganic, naturally-occurring, homogeneous substance with a defined chemical composition.

Answer 2

A substance has to meet 5 very specific criteria to be considered a mineral.

1. It must be inorganic (not the result of biological activity).
2. It must be naturally occurring (not man made).
3. It must be solid.
4. It must have fixed composition that only varies within certain well defined limits.
5. It must have an orderly internal structure (the atoms can't be arranged at random).

If a substance meet all five of these requirements, then it is considered to be a mineral.

A rock, on the other hand, is much more loosely defined. A rock is something that is made up of one or more minerals or mineral-like substances. So, a rock does not have to contain any minerals. Coal is a rock that does not contain many minerals.

So, minerals are solid objects that meet some very specific requirements. Rocks are objects that may or may not contain minerals.

Answer 3

All rocks are made of 2 or more minerals, but minerals are not made of rocks. A mineral is the same all the way through. That is one reason we speak of a sample or a specimen rather than a rock.There are about 3000 known minerals on earth. All rocks are made up of 2 or more of these minerals

Answer 4

Rocks ain't worth squat. Minerals are, in some cases, worth a bundle! Now a mineral can BE a rock, but not all rocks are minerals.

Answer 5

Minerals are a crystalline substance of inorganic origin, like diamonds.

Rocks can be a composite of different minerals.

Answer 6

Rocks are composed by one or more minerals.

Answer 7

here ya go