Home | Session 3 | Quick Notes on Rocks vs. Minerals
Quick Notes on Rocks vs. Minerals
Minerals are single pure things, but they are compounds of elements and therefore have different chemical formulas. They are crystalline in nature and are inorganic.
Rocks are mixtures. When you describe a rock, texture and composition are key. Grain size is part of texture.
Rocks are made up of minerals (but minerals are not made up of rocks). You can use the analogy of compounds being made up of elements.
updated February 11, 2002
UCMP Home | What's new | About UCMP | History of Life | Collections | Subway
