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).
Although similar to rocks, minerals are the building blocks for making rocks, and are found in various types of rock in differing shapes and chemical compositions throughout the Earth's crust. Although minerals differ in shape, composition and distribution, four major classes of minerals make up the Earthâs crust. Silicates The silicate class of minerals makes up 90 percent of the Earthâs crust, and is compounds of silicon and other chemical elements. The two most common silicate types found in the Earthâs crust are quartz and feldspar minerals.