This article is about minerals in the geologic sense; for nutrient minerals see dietary mineral; for the band see Mineral (band). Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. The term "mineral" encompasses not only the material's chemical composition but also the mineral structures. Minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts to very complex silicates with thousands of known forms (organic compounds are usually excluded). The study of minerals is called mineralogy. < ...

Including:

• Mineral - Mineral definition and classification
• Mineral - Minerals and rocks
• Mineral - Physical properties of minerals
• Mineral - Chemical properties of minerals

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Definition and meaning of mineralization:

mineralization - the process in which organic compounds (e.g., dead plant or animal materials) are converted to inorganic compounds

(Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) )

Also see these pages: Oceanography, Oceanography Sitemap, Coral Reef, Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change,

For more dictionary entries, see » Mineral Dictionary

To be classified as a "true" mineral, a substance must be a solid and have a crystal structure. It must also be an inorganic, naturally-occurring, homogenous substance with a defined chemical composition. The chemical composition may vary between end members of a mineral system. For example the plagioclase feldspars comprise a continuous series from sodium-rich albite (NaAlSi3O8) to calcium-rich anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8) with four recognized intermediate compositions between. Mineral-like s ...

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Mineral, Mineral - Mineral definition and classification, Mineral - Minerals and rocks, Mineral - Physical properties of minerals, Mineral - Chemical properties of minerals

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The Bell Miner, Manorina melanophrys, is a colonial honeyeater endemic to southeastern Australia. Bell Miners defend the colony area communally, excluding most other passerine species. Other related archivesAustralia, honeyeater, passerine

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Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the water. Mineral water can often be effervescent. Mineral water can be prepared or can occur naturally. Traditionally mineral waters would be used or consumed at their source, often referred to as taking the waters or taking the cure, and such sites were referred to as spas, baths or wells. Spa would ...

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• Mineral water - Iron water

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Carbonate minerals are those minerals containing the carbonate ion: CO32-. Carbonate minerals - Example carbonates. Carbonate minerals - Anhydrous carbonates. Calcite group: Trigonal Calcite CaCO3 Gaspeite (Ni,Mg,Fe2+)CO3 Magnesite MgCO3 Otavite CdCO3 Rhodochrosite MnCO3 Siderite FeCO3 Smithsonite ZnCO3 ...

Including:

• Carbonate minerals - Example carbonates
• Carbonate minerals - Anhydrous carbonates
• Carbonate minerals - Anhydrous carbonates with compound formulas
• Carbonate minerals - Carbonates with hydroxyl or halogen
• Carbonate minerals - Hydrated carbonates

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Coal Miner's Daughter is a 1980 biographical film which tells the story of country music performer Loretta Lynn. It stars Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones and Levon Helm, and was directed by Michael Apted. The movie was adapted from Lynn's biography by George Vecsey. Loretta Lynn was one of the first female superstars in country music and remains a defining presence within the genre; with her strong, clear, hard-country voice and tough, no-nonsense songs about husbands who cheat and wives who weren't about to be pushed arou ...

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• Coal Miner's Daughter - Awards

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The miners' strike of 1984-5 was a major piece of industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining event in the history of industrial relations in the UK. UK miners' strike 1984-1985 - History. In 1984, the National Coal Board (the UK Public Body which controlled coal mining) announced that an agreement reached after the 1974 miners' strike had become obsolete, and that they intended to close 20 coal mines because they were uneconomical. 20,000 jobs would be lost, and many communitie ...

Including:

• UK miners' strike 1984-1985 - History
• UK miners' strike 1984-1985 - After the strike
• UK miners' strike 1984-1985 - Strike in artistic depictions
• UK miners' strike 1984-1985 - Books

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Chrysocolla (hydrated copper silicate) is a mineral, CuSiO3·nH2O. It is of secondary origin and forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies. Associated minerals are quartz, limonite, azurite, malachite, cuprite, and other secondary copper minerals. Chrysocolla is an attractive blue-green colour and is minor ore of copper, having a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5. It is also used as an ornamental stone. It is typically found as glassy botryoid ...

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Celestite (SrSO4) is a mineral consisting of strontium sulfate. The mineral is also known as celestine and is named for its occasional delicate blue color. Celestite occurs as crystals, and also in compact massive and fibrous forms. It is mostly found in sedimentary rocks, often associated with the minerals gypsum, anhydrite, and halite. The mineral is found worldwide, usually in small quantities. Pale blue crystal specimens are found in Madagascar. The bodies of Acantharea are made of celestite, unlike those ...

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Calaverite, or gold telluride, is an uncommon telluride of gold; it is a metallic mineral. It was first discovered in Calaveras County, California in 1861. Its chemical formula is AuTe2. Its color may range from a silvery white to a brassy yellow. It is closely related to the gold - silver telluride sylvanite. Another mineral containing AuTe2 is krennerite. Calaverite occurs as monoclinic crystals, which do not possess cleavage planes. It has ...

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Wollastonite is a calcium inosilicate mineral (CaSiO3) that may contain small amounts of iron, magnesium, and manganese substituting for calcium. It is usually white. It forms when impure limestone or dolostone is subjected to high temperature and pressure sometimes in the presence of silica-bearing fluids as in skarns or contact metamorphic rocks. Associated minerals include garnets, vesuvianite, diopside, tremolite, epidote, plagioclase feldspar, and calcite. It is named after the English chemist a ...

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Barite (BaSO4) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate. It is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of barium. Baryte is the British spelling. The radiating form is also sometimes refered to as Bologna Stone. Barite commonly occurs in lead-zinc veins in limestones, in hot spring deposits, and with hematite ore. It is often associated with the minerals anglesite and celestite. The name barite is derived from the Greek word barus (heavy). In commerce, the mineral is sometimes refer ...

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Variscite AlPO4·2H2O, hydrated aluminium phosphate, is a relatively rare phosphate mineral. It is sometimes confused with turquoise, however, variscite is usually greener in colour. Variscite is formed by direct deposition from phosphate bearing water that has reacted with aluminium rich rocks in a near-surface environment. It occurs as fine-grained masses in nodules, cavity fillings, and crusts. Variscite often contains veins of the mineral crandallite. Variscite is sometimes used as a semi-precious stone, and is popular for carvings and ornamental use. It is named after Varis ...

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Plagioclase feldspars are a very important group of igneous rock forming tectosilicate minerals. Plagioclase comprises a solid solution series: NaAlSi3O8 (Albite)- CaAl2Si2O8 (Anorthite) Plagioclase feldspars range between two endmembers: the sodic feldspar endmember albite and the calcic feldspar endmember anorthite. The composition of plagioclase feldspar is typically determined by the percentage of anorthite (%An) in system. The members of this series are known as ...

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Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. The colors of its bands are white and black. Sardonyx is a variant, where the colored bands are sard, rather than black. It is usually cut as a cabochon, or into beads, and is also used for intaglios and cameos, where the bands make the image contrast with the ground. Some onyx is natural but much is produced by the staining of agate. See also. list of minerals the green vessel may no ...

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Chalcedony is one of the cryptocrystalline varieties of the mineral quartz, having a waxy luster. Chalcedony may be semitransparent or translucent and is usually white to gray, grayish-blue or some shade of brown, sometimes nearly black. Other shades have been given different names. A clear red chalcedony is known as carnelian or sard; a green variety colored by nickel oxide is called chrysoprase. Prase is a dull green and onyx is black and white banded. Plasma is a bright to emerald-green chalcedony that is sometimes found with small ...

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Stibnite, sometimes also called antimonite, is a sulfide mineral. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, has hardness 2 and a grey colour. Its chemical composition is described by the formula Sb2S3 Stibnite is the most important source for the rare metal antimony. It is soluble in hydrochloric acid, and is tarnished by potassium hydroxide solution. Small deposits of Stibnite are common, large ones are rare. It occurs in Canada, Mexico, Peru, Japan, China, Germany, Romania, Italy, France, England, Algeria, and Kalimantan, Borneo. In the United States it is found in A ...

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Vivianite Fe3(PO4)2·8(H2O), hydrated iron phosphate, is a secondary mineral found in a number of geological environments. Usually found as deep blue to deep bluish green prismatic to flattened crystals, most crystals rather small to microscopic, larger ones are rare. It is formed by the alteration of ore deposits near the surface, or of primary phosphates in pegmatites. Vivianite crystals are often found inside fossil shells, such as those of biva ...

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Uvarovite is a chromium bearing garnet: Ca3Cr2(SiO4)3. It was discovered in 1832 and is named after Count Sergei Semenovitch Uvarov (1765-1855), a Russian statesman and amateur mineral collector. Uvarovite is the rarest of all the garnets, and is the only consistently green garnet, with a beautiful emerald-green color. It occurs as well-formed fine sized crystals. Specimens of uvarovite are much sought after by collectors for outstanding brilliance and color. It is found associated with chromium ores in Spain, Russia, and Quebec in Canada. It a ...

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