A mineral is the natural inorganic element. It has a crystal formation, chemical composition and orderly structure. There are more then 4,000 naturally occurring minerals. Here are some facts about minerals.
Geometry
Minerals are crystalline in nature. Minerals are formed of individual elements, little molecules which are arranged in a repeated chain structure or three-dimensional arrays.
How We Found
We get minerals from mining the ground. They may be getting by drilling the surface or underground drilling techniques. Like, gold is mined to get it from surface pit.
Classes of Minerals
There are different classes of minerals. Gold, silver, tin are well known minerals. Silicates including quartz, olivine and mica are common classes of minerals.
Gemstone
Gemstone is a very beautiful crystal mineral. It is very costly mineral. When these minerals are uncut, they are ordinary looking. But after polished, their luster and brilliant look give them a high value.
Special Figures
Some statistics tells that a television contains over 35 minerals and a telephone has over 40 minerals in their structure. The consumption of minerals is different like a new born infant need 854 pounds of lead average through life time supply. 32,980 pounds of iron, 776 pounds of zinc, 31,040 pounds of salt is needed through the life.