4、地球物质的化学组成 Rock and Minerals inearth Minerals defined 11. A mineral is naturally occurring, inorganic, solid element or compound with a definite chemical composition and a regular internal crystal structure. Naturally occurring, as distinguished from synthetic means that minerals do not include the thousands of chemical substances invented by humans. Inorganic means not produced solely by living organisms or by biological processes. That minerals must be solid means that the ice of a glacier is a mineral, but liquid water is not Chemically, minerals may consist either of one element-like diamonds, which are pure carbon--or they may be compounds of two or more elements. Some mineral compositions are very complex, consisting of ten elements or more. Minerals have a definite chemical composition or a compositional range within which they fall. The presence of certain elements in certain proportions is one of 环质 Environmental Geology环境地质学 Environmental Geology 4、地球物质的化学组成 Rock and Minerals in earth Minerals Defined 11. A mineral is naturally occurring, inorganic, solid element or compound with a definite chemical composition and a regular internal crystal structure. Naturally occurring, as distinguished from synthetic, means that minerals do not include the thousands of chemical substances invented by humans. Inorganic means not produced solely by living organisms or by biological processes. That minerals must be solid means that the ice of a glacier is a mineral, but liquid water is not. Chemically, minerals may consist either of one element-like diamonds, which are pure carbon--or they may be compounds of two or more elements. Some mineral compositions are very complex, consisting of ten elements or more. Minerals have a definite chemical composition or a compositional range within which they fall. The presence of certain elements in certain proportions is one of