Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances with definite chemical compositions and characteristic physical properties. A rock is an aggregate of minerals. Minerals range in composition from native elements and metals, sulfides, halides, and carbonates to complex silicates, which are the most common rock-forming substances. Contemporary society depends on the availability of mineral resources: Metallic minerals such as iron, copper, aluminum, lead, and zinc; nonmetallic minerals such as salt, clay, gypsum, soil, and water; and energy resources such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium, and palladium have all become necessary to the functioning of human civilizations.
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