Rock vs. Mineral: What's the Difference?
Read the comparison below, or explore it visually. Create a visual lesson comparing rock and mineral using available credits or plan allowance.
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and an ordered crystal structure, while a rock is a natural solid made of one or more minerals mixed together. Quartz, for example, is a mineral that is always silicon dioxide, whereas granite is a rock made of quartz, feldspar and mica in varying proportions.
At a glance
| Rock | Mineral | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Natural solid made of one or more minerals | Natural inorganic solid of one substance |
| Composition | Varies from sample to sample | Fixed chemical formula, e.g. quartz is SiO₂ |
| Structure | Grains of different minerals together | Atoms in a regular repeating crystal pattern |
| Examples | Granite, basalt, sandstone, marble | Quartz, feldspar, calcite, mica |
| Classified by | Origin: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic | Chemistry, hardness, lustre, streak, cleavage |
Which should you use?
Talk about rocks when describing how landscapes and buildings form, such as the red sandstone of Delhi's Red Fort or the basalt of the Deccan Plateau.
Talk about minerals when describing the individual substances inside rocks, such as the mica flakes and quartz grains you can see glinting in a piece of granite.