Rocks vs Minerals: Understanding the Difference

Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with definite chemical composition and crystalline structure. Rocks are aggregates of one or more minerals. Granite contains quartz, feldspar, and mica.

Basalt contains plagioclase and pyroxene. Rocks are classified as igneous (cooled from magma), sedimentary (compacted sediments), or metamorphic (transformed by heat and pressure). The rock cycle continuously transforms between these types over geological time..