rocks and minerals and stuff

What criteria do geologists use to determine whether something is a mineral?

If it is Naturally occurring, has orderly crystalline structure, a solid substance, generally inorganic, and definite chemical composition that allows for some variation.

Naturally occurring

Minerals form by natural geologic processes.

Orderly crystalline structure

Minerals are crystalline substances, made up of atoms (or ions) that are arranged in an orderly, repetitive manner.

Generally inorganic

found naturally in the ground

What is a rock?

any solid mass of mineral, or mineral-like, matter that occurs naturally as part of our planet.

Are all rocks composed of multiple minerals?

No

Protons

A positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom.

Neutrons

A subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom. A neutron is electronically neutral and has a mass approximately that of a proton.

Electrons

A negatively charged subatomic particle that has a negligible mass and is found outside an atom’s nucleus

Valence electrons

The electrons involved in the bonding process; the electrons occupying the highest principal energy level of an atom.

How do electrons behave?

They move about in regions called principal shells. Each shells can hold a specific number of electrons.

Chemical Bond

a transfer or sharing of electrons that allows each atom to attain a full valence shell of electrons.

octet rule

Atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons until they are surrounded by eight valence electrons