In geology a mineral is defined as “a natural solid with a high ordering at the atomic scale and a defined (but not fixed) chemical composition“. This definition, although clear, does not always make it easy to distinguish minerals from other types of materials. To help you better understand and test your knowledge, we propose a quiz with 6 images. Your task will be:
- identify what it is;
- establish whether it is a mineral or not.
Attention: scroll the page slowly because below you will find the image with the solution. You have been warned!
Below, as anticipated, you will find theimage-quiz solutionwhich contains the names of the substances and their types. So don’t go any further until you’ve tested yourself!
In the proposed list, only 3 of the materials present they are real minerals: amethyst, diamond And ice. These meet all the criteria of the definition: they are natural solids, with a high atomic ordering and a precise chemical composition. However, some materials, although similar, do not meet these requirements.
The mercury, for example, it is not a mineral because at room temperature it is in a liquid state while the coal it is technically a rock, since it can contain other minerals in the form of impurities inside it. An interesting case is that of bismuth, a crystal often confused with a mineral. However, in his iridescent shape, it does not exist naturally and is a product of artificial processes, such as fusion and recrystallization.
