Mineral forming Environments

Minerals Generally form in 1 of 2 ways

• by cooling of magma and lava
• crystallization of materials dissolved in water.

Minerals from Magma and Lava

Minerals form as HOT magma cools inside the crust or as lava hardens on the surface.

The rate at which crystals form depends on...

• the rate at which magma cools (the slower the cooling the bigger the crystals)
• the amount of gas the magma contains
• the chemical (atoms) composition of the magma

Minerals from solution

• (a solution is a mixture in which one substance is dissolved into another)
• When elements and compounds are dissolved in water, they leave behind crystals.

Minerals can form this way underground and in bodies of water on Earth's surface.

Some minerals formed when ancient seas slowly evaporated over time. Minerals such as halite, gypsum, and calcite formed this way.

Minerals can form from hot water solutions. Magma can heat water to very high temperatures. Sometimes the elements and compounds that form a mineral dissolve in the hot water.

When the water begins to cool, the elements and compounds leave the solution and crystallize as minerals.

Pure metals form veins...

narrow channel or slab of
a mineral that is different from the surrounding rock. It can look like streaks of fudge.

summing up...mineral environments

• Cooled magma or lava inside or on earth's surface
• Minerals from solution...evaporation or from hot water solutions underground