I understand that it’s made up of minerals but what is in the minerals?
I just can’t put my finger on it, what is that igneous stuff made of, and are the metamorphic rocks made of the same thing??
In: Earth Science
The exact minerals in a rock depend entirely on what type of rock. For example, calcite and dolomite are the main ingredients of limestone.
Soil meanwhile is just plant/animal matter that has broken down. Like you can start a compost heap in your backyard, and literally make new soil. Just throw your vegetable scraps in it, water it occasionally, and use a shovel to basically “stir it up” from time to time.
The minerals in the rock vary depending upon where they have come from, so some rocks are formed from crushed seashells others from compacted sand. Under heat and pressure these rocks can then physically or chemically change into other rocks.
Types of rock, sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rock. https://youtu.be/a5SYy9lM61s
Basalt and basaltic rock formation, from Hawaii to the Giant’s causeway https://youtu.be/vubViTCtxJo
Shale and slate, what are these rocks and how are they formed? https://youtu.be/6wvHYe7Cr4A
What are pumice rocks and pumice rafts? https://youtu.be/rdijEWcRkkQ
What is granite and how does it form batholiths? https://youtu.be/OecNnmze3KM
What is obsidian or volcanic glass and how is it formed? https://youtu.be/MDrCO8q0HAM
Igneous rocks are made of lava that has cooled down. A lot of it is composed of the mineral quartz (Silicon oxide, SiO2). These rocks eventually break down because of weathering. The individual particles of the broken rock get swept downstream by water and deposited somewhere. Over time these deposits get compressed by the weight of more accumulating deposits above them and turn into a sedimentary rock, e.g. sandstone, a large part of which is also quartz, not coincidentally. As this sedimentary rock gets buried or pushed extremely deep, it turns into a metamorphic rock, e.g. quartzite (guess what it’s made of). After this rock eventually melts into lava, it can get spewed out through volcanic action again to become igneous rock and start the cycle anew.
Another common mineral is feldspar, which is an aluminosilicate, made of aluminum, silicon and oxygen. Another common stuff is calcium carbonate, which is what mollusk shells are made of, and again not coincidentally dying shells is how it gets deposited in the first place.
[Here’s an article](http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10d.html) that details the chemical formula of several of these minerals. Basically, you’re looking at silicon oxides with various metals or other chemicals attached.
Soil is generally sand (tiny “rocks”) with a lot of organic material (small pieces of plant, animal poop, etc.) thrown in.
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