Question

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Propose an explanation for the wide diversity of minerals. Consider factors such as the elements that make up minerals and the Earth processes that form minerals.

Answer 1

Answer:

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Explanation:

Minerals form in all geologic environments and thus under a wide range of chemical and physical conditions, such as varying temperature and pressure. The four main categories of mineral formation are: (1) igneous, or magmatic, in which minerals crystallize from a melt, (2) sedimentary, in which minerals are the result of sedimentation, a process whose raw materials are particles from other rocks that have undergone weathering or erosion, (3) metamorphic, in which new minerals form at the expense of earlier ones owing to the effects of changing—usually increasing—temperature or pressure or both on some existing rock type, and (4) hydrothermal, in which minerals are chemically precipitated from hot solutions within Earth. The first three processes generally lead to varieties of rocks in which different mineral grains are closely intergrown in an interlocking fabric. Hydrothermal solutions, and even solutions at very low temperatures (e.g., groundwater), tend to follow fracture zones in rocks that may provide open spaces for the chemical precipitation of minerals from solution. It is from such open spaces, partially filled by minerals deposited from solutions, that most of the spectacular mineral specimens have been collected. If a mineral that is in the process of growth (as a result of precipitation) is allowed to develop in a free space, it will generally exhibit a well-developed crystal form, which adds to a specimen’s aesthetic beauty. Similarly, geodes, which are rounded, hollow, or partially hollow bodies commonly found in limestones, may contain well-formed crystals lining the central cavity. Geodes form as a result of mineral deposition from solutions such as groundwater.