Variegated Maiden Grass. Variegatus is an antique maiden grass cultivar that has been in cultivation since the 18th century. The grass grows to 8 feet tall, with a spread of about 5 feet, producing light green leaves striped with white. In the fall, the grass boasts pink flowers.
You can think of elements as different sized marbles (except, in this case, the marbles are all very, very tiny!). Based on the relative sizes of the marbles, they can be stacked in different ways (see the figure). A good example of a simple mineral is table salt (Yes, salt is a mineral.). The proper mineral name for table salt is halite, and a geologist will often identify it by tasting it. Salt is composed of two elements; Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl). Sodium and chlorine are strongly attracted to each other and stack together into a cubic crystal structure (see figure).
This list of minerals and specific articles about each mineral species are all focused on minerals as they naturally occur within rocks and sediments. More than 90% on the crust is composed of silicate minerals. Most abundant silicates are feldspars (plagioclase (39%) and alkali feldspar (12%)). Other common silicate minerals are quartz (12%) pyroxenes (11%), amphiboles (5%), micas (5%), and clay minerals (5%). The rest of the silicate family comprises 3% of the crust. Only 8% of the crust is composed of non-silicates â carbonates, oxides, sulfides, etc 1.