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Rocks and Minerals

#rocks #minerals #ngscience Minerals are natural substances that aren't made by humans or living organisms. Think of them as the Earth's own little treasures. Each mineral has a specific chemical composition, which means they're made up of certain elements in specific amounts. They also have unique properties, such as color, hardness, and the way they break. Some minerals you might recognize include quartz (often found in beautiful crystals), talc (used in baby powder), and even salt! Now, onto rocks. While minerals are like the ingredients in a recipe, rocks are the final dish! Rocks are solid substances formed from one or more minerals. There are three main types of rocks, and each type is formed in a different way: Igneous rocks come from melted rock that cools and hardens. When volcanoes erupt and send lava spilling out, that lava can cool down and turn into an igneous rock. Sedimentary rocks are made from tiny bits of other rocks and minerals. Imagine the sand at the beach or the silt in a riverbed. Over a long time, these tiny bits get pressed together and form layers, eventually becoming rock. It's a bit like pressing together layers in a sandwich. Metamorphic rocks start out as one kind of rock but change over time because of heat and pressure inside the Earth. It's like taking a clay model and squishing it to make a new shape. And rocks and minerals aren't just pretty to look at. They have lots of important uses! We use minerals in our daily lives without even realizing it. For instance, the graphite in pencils is a mineral. The limestone is used to make cement for buildings. And some rocks, like granite, are used to make countertops in kitchens. Every time you use a gadget or live in a house, you're benefiting from the wonderful world of rocks and minerals!