Plan you week with the help of our 10-day weather forecasts and weekend weather predictions for Seward, AK
A mineral is a naturally occurring chemical compound, usually of crystalline form and abiogenic in origin (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.
Native elements are minerals that contain only atoms of one type of element. The elements are not combined with other elements. In nature most elements are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds. So, the native elements mineral group contains a relatively small number of minerals. One mineral contains the elements zinc, carbon, and oxygen. 2  The other mineral contains the elements zinc, silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen. 3  Your friend tells you that the minerals are in the same mineral group.