Earth materials / Состав Земли

This book concerns the nature, origin, evolution and signifi cance of Earth materials. Earth is composed of a variety of naturally occurring and synthetic materials whose composition can be expressed in many ways. Solid Earth materials are described by their chemical, mineral and rock composition. Atoms combine to form minerals and minerals combine to form rocks. Discussion of the relationships between atoms, minerals and rocks is fundamental to an understanding of Earth materials and their behavior.

The term mineral is used in a number of ways. For example, elements on your typical breakfast cereal box are listed as minerals. Oil and gas are considered mineral resources. All these are loose interpretations of the term mineral. <...>