Just a few minerals make up most of the rocks we see, though: feldspars, amphiboles, quartz, olivine, garnet, micas, calcite, and pyroxenes. The possible combinations of these minerals are endless.

The most common rock-forming minerals include quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, olivine, and calcite. Some rocks are predominantly composed of just one mineral. For example, limestone is a ...

Usually the original mineral was aragonite or calcite, and it has been replaced by silica (in ... well-cemented sediment in the middle of a relatively uncemented sedimentary rock). Indeed, the critter ...

Scientists recently discovered that San Bernardino County's Searles Lake contains minerals found in outer space.