Uses of minerals

Lava cools to form volcanic rock as well as volcanic glass. Magma can also extrude into Earth’s atmosphere as part of a violent volcanic explosion. This magma solidifies in the air to form volcanic rock called tephra.

(iii) Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are the three types of rocks.

• They are used as fuels, for example – coal, petroleum and natural gas.
• They are used in industries for making medicines, fertlisers and many other items. Iron, bauxite, mica, gold, silver, etc. are examples of minerals.

A rock is a solid collection of mineral grains that grow or become cemented together. Some rocks are large while others are small. Geologists (people who study rocks and minerals) classify rocks according to the way they are formed. The three main types are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals, or a body of undifferentiated mineral matter. Common rocks include granite, basalt, limestone, and sandstone.

The shells are made of minerals but they are not minerals. Coal is considered a rock but it is not made of minerals. These last three are called biogenic rocks.

As CO2 levels rise, the water becomes more acidic and the amount of carbonate (needed to make calcium carbonate — the compound that most shellfish and corals use to build their shells and skeletons) decreases. Eventually there is so little carbonate that shells or skeletons don’t form properly or can’t form at all.

The common limpet is made up of an extremely strong cone-shaped shell with a soft fleshy body inside. The whole bottom section of the body consists of a large ‘foot’ which they use to secure themselves to rocks.

Ice is not a rock, but it is a mineral, as it meets all the requirements to be considered one. A glacier would be classified as a rock. it is a mineral, as it meets all the requirements to be considered one.