A substance must possess five specific characteristics in order for it to be considered a mineral.

The diamonds on the left are natural, while the diamond on the right is synthetic. Most consumers can’t tell them apart, although the difference is readily apparent to a jeweller.
• Naturally Occurring: All minerals are formed by natural geological processes. A diamond formed naturally in the Earth is a mineral, but a synthetic diamond manufactured in a laboratory is not considered a mineral.


• Inorganic: An inorganic substance is not made from living things, nor from the remains of living things. Coal, for example, is not a mineral because it is composed of the remains of ancient plants.


• Solid: All minerals are solids at room temperature. Materials in the liquid or gas state of matter at room temperature are not minerals. Not all solids, however (e.g., coal), are minerals.


TThe regular geometric arrangement of silicon and oxygen atoms results in this crystalline shape for the mineral quartz. This sample of quartz is from the Wegner Quartz Crystal Mines in Mt. Ida, Arkansas.
• Crystalline: A crystalline mineral is one in which the atoms that make up the mineral are arranged in an orderly, geometric pattern that is regularly repeated.


• Definite Composition: All minerals have a clearly defined chemical composition. The mineral salt (NaCl) is made up of one atom of sodium paired with one atom of chlorine. Quartz (SiO₂) has one silicon atom paired with two oxygen atoms. The ratio of atoms that defines a specific mineral always remains constant.

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Diamonds are Foreever

Diamonds have long been prized, both for their scintillating brilliance, and for their hardness. Most people associate diamonds with having come from the mines of South Africa. Did you know, however, that neither the world’s largest diamond mine, nor the world’s richest diamond mine are located in South Africa? Both of these mines are located in another African nation.

• Click here to visit this nation.

The Biggest: The Orapa ("resting place for lions") Diamond Mine in Botswana is an open pit mine that is the largest diamond mine in the world. The open pit has a diameter of 2.0 km ( 1.2 miles) and is 250 m (820 feet) deep.

• Click here to visit the Orapa Diamond Mine.

The Richest: The Jwaneng (“place of small stones”) Diamond Mine in Botswana is the world’s richest diamond mine by value of the diamonds mined. In 2009 the Jwaneng mine produced 9.04 million carats (1,820 kg / 3,970 lbs) of diamonds.

• Click here to visit the Jwaneng Diamond Mine.