Question

What is a mineral ? state two characteristics of minerals?

Answer 1

A mineral is a naturally occurring chemical compound, usually of crystalline form and not produced by life processes. A mineral has one specific chemical composition, whereas a rock can be an aggregate of different minerals or mineraloids. The study of minerals is called mineralogy.

To meet the definition of "mineral" used by most geologists, a substance must meet five requirements:
•naturally occurring.
•inorganic.
•solid.
•definite chemical composition.
•ordered internal structure

Answer 2

Answer:

Minerals are natural substances of organic or inorganic origin with definite chemical and physical properties.

The characteristics of minerals are as follows :

(i) Minerals are not evenly distributed over space.

(ii) Minerals have inverse relationship in quality and quantity,i.e., good quality minerals are less in quantity than low quality minerals.

(iii) Minerals are exhaustible over time. They take long time to develop geologically and cannot be replenished immediately when needed. Thus, they need to be conserved as they do not have second crop.