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Contents of 2.5 What is a mineral?

2.5 What is a mineral?

• A mineral is/has
• naturally occurring solid
• usually inorganic
• Aside from some few exceptions (e.g., components of coal - derived from biologic remnants, aragonite, etc.) minerals are natural inorganic solids
• Organic crystalline materials like sugar are not minerals
• a defined (but slightly variable) chemistry
• an ordered internal structure