What is a mineral?

When you see a glittering crystal in our Museum you would probably say it was a mineral - and you'd almost certainly be right. But can you say what a mineral really is?

Defining a mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid, with a definite chemical composition, and an ordered atomic arrangement. This may seem a bit of a mouthful, but if you break it down it becomes simpler.

• Minerals are naturally occurring

  They are not made by humans

• Minerals are inorganic

  They have never been alive and are not made up from plants or animals

• Minerals are solids

  They are not liquids (like water), or gases (like the air around you)

• Minerals have a definite chemical composition

  Each one is made of a particular mix of chemical elements

• Minerals have an ordered atomic arrangement

  The chemical elements that make up each mineral are arranged in a particular way - this is why minerals 'grow' as crystals