The building blocks of our planet are rocks and minerals. These rocks and minerals are the reason for the formation of panoramas and sources in the environment. By knowing the things behind the formation of rocks and minerals, we can find the shapes of the earth. The shape of our planet also depends on the rocks and minerals.
Key Takeaways
- Rocks are composed of multiple minerals or mineral-like substances, while minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solids with a specific chemical composition.
- Minerals have a defined crystal structure, whereas rocks exhibit a range of textures and structures based on their formation process.
- Geologists study rocks to understand Earth’s history, while minerals are important for their economic value and various applications in industry.
Rocks vs Minerals
A rock is a naturally occurring solid substance composed of one or more minerals or mineraloids. Rocks are classified into three types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic substance with a specific chemical composition and a crystalline structure.
Naturally occurring solid mass or a combination of minerals is defined as rock. The rock can be categorized into many forms on several bases. Most of the rocks are taken from the earth’s outer layer, called the crust. While the earth’s magma gets cooled, igneous rocks are formed. By lithification of sediments, sedimentary rocks are formed. Various processes are the reason for the deposition of rocks inside the earth. When existing rocks undergo heavy pressure or temperature, metamorphic rocks are formed.
Organisms perform various functions in their life with the help of minerals. They are nothing but chemical elements. By weight, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen are the four structural elements in the human body. Being elements, the organisms can not directly synthesize some minerals. To stay healthy, minerals are important to your body. By using minerals, your body secretes enzymes and hormones. Two kinds of minerals are available. They are macro-minerals and micro-minerals.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Rocks | Minerals |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rocks are solid inorganic substances formed without any chemical substances | Minerals are solid inorganic substances with a chemical composition. |
| Edible nature | Not edible | Edible |
| Microscopic | Some rocks need a microscope to identify. | Minerals do not need a microscope. They are easily recognizable. |
| Structure | Rocks do not have a solid structure | Minerals have a solid structure. |
| Example | Limestone, Marble | Bauxite, Gypsum. |
What is Rocks?
The composition of grains or minerals is called rocks. In an orderly structure, the atoms made with chemical bonds and crystalline solids are called rocks. Rocks mineraloids are rigid with mineral-like substances. The oldest dated rocks were formed around 4 million years ago on the Earth. They are formed by erosion during Hadean Eon.
There are different types of rocks available on the Earth. The rock can be categorized into many forms on several bases. Most of the rocks are taken from the earth’s outer layer, called the crust. While the magma of the earth gets cooled, then igneous rocks are formed. By lithification of sediments, sedimentary rocks are formed. Various processes are the reason for the deposition of rocks inside the earth. When existing rocks undergo heavy pressure or temperature, metamorphic rocks are formed.
Since rocks have minerals, silicate minerals are the most occur minerals in the rocks. The crystal lattice of those rocks contains silicate tetrahedra, around one-third of the total. 95% of rocks are found in the earth’s crust. The amount of silica in the rocks is the factor in deciding the names of the rocks. The Rock Cycle is nothing but the transformation of rocks from one type to another. Those transformations in the rocks are the reason for producing the different types of rocks: sediment, igneous, and metamorphic.
What is Minerals?
Organisms perform various functions in their life with the help of minerals. They are nothing but chemical elements. By weight, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen are the four structural elements in the human body. Being elements, the organisms can not directly synthesize some minerals. To stay healthy, minerals are important to your body. By using minerals, your body secretes enzymes and hormones.
Two kinds of minerals are available. They are macrominerals and microminerals. Minerals like calcium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphorous are needed in large amounts for better functions of the human body. They have come under macrominerals. Minerals like iron, copper, manganese, and fluoride are not needed much in your body. These come under microminerals. By consuming various medicines, people balance the mineral content in their bodies.
The less supplement of minerals may cause several diseases in the human body. Small organisms get the minerals from the soil and by eating plants and others. Large organisms get the minerals from the plants and by eating the small organisms. The so-called life cycle reassures everything and proves the dependency. Biomineralization is a process done by animals and microorganisms to mineralize structures and create eggshells, seashells, and bones.
Main Differences Between Rocks and Minerals
- When compared to minerals, some rocks need a microscope to identify their type of rocks. But minerals are easy to recognize.
- Rocks do not have a specific shape and colour, but minerals have a particular shape and colour.
- Rocks have no chemical composition, but minerals are a combination of chemical compositions.
- Rocks are not edible, but minerals like salt are edible.
- The study of rocks is called petrology, and the study of minerals is called mineralogy.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=-EkPEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=rocks+and+minerals&ots=069S8visRr&sig=sRGc5R1IzvPYkTBgau7DvyAwfc8
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=C-7APnYVG04C&oi=fnd&pg=PR3&dq=rocks+and+minerals&ots=m9qRLGwPwB&sig=UwbpO4KUuei8225XyOAz8rdfb4g
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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