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This is a list of minerals which have Wikipedia articles. Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various species .
Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates (e.g. kaolin, Al 2 Si 2 O 5 4), sometimes with variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths, and other cations found on or near some planetary surfaces. Clay minerals form in the presence of water [1] and have been important to life, and many theories of abiogenesis ...
The proportion of silica in rocks and minerals is a major factor in determining their names and properties. [7] Rock outcrop along a mountain creek near Orosí, Costa Rica. Rocks are classified according to characteristics such as mineral and chemical composition, permeability, texture of the constituent particles, and particle size.
Diorite – Igneous rock type Napoleonite, also known as corsite – Variety of diorite with orbicular structure; Dunite – Ultramafic and ultrabasic rock from Earth's mantle which is made of the mineral olivine; Essexite – Igneous rock type; Foidolite – Igneous rock rich in feldspathoid minerals; Gabbro – Coarse-grained mafic intrusive rock
Micas (/ ˈ m aɪ k ə z / MY-kəz) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is common in igneous and metamorphic rock and is occasionally found as small flakes in ...
As it moves, it cools and various rock types will form through a process known as fractional crystallisation. Igneous rocks can be seen at mid-ocean ridges, areas of island arc volcanism or in intra-plate hotspots. Metamorphic rocks once existed as igneous or sedimentary rocks, but have been subjected to varying degrees of pressure and heat ...
According to W.A. Tarr (1938) the primary mineral deposits are the result of direct magmatic action; he states that the splitting of magmas results in the basic igneous rocks and their accompanying group of accessory minerals formed by the first crystallization in the magma, on the one hand, and in the acidic igneous rocks and a second group of ...
Parent material is the underlying geological material (generally bedrock or a superficial or drift deposit) in which soil horizons form. Soils typically inherit a great deal of structure and minerals from their parent material, and, as such, are often classified based upon their contents of consolidated or unconsolidated mineral material that has undergone some degree of physical or chemical ...