Minerals

• minerals are naturally formed solid elements or compounds having a crystalline structure
• mineralogy is the science that deals with the identification and classification of compounds
• hardness is the resistance of a mineral to being scratched
• moh's scale of hardness refers to the relative hardness of minerals
• according to moh's scale of hardness, diamond is the hardest mineral while talc is the least hard.
• weathering is the process of breaking down of rocks into smaller particles to become soil
• mechanical weathering is the physical disintegration of rocks; no transport
• frost wedging is when water expands when it freeezes, causing the rocks to crack
• thermal expansion and contraction is the heating and cooling of rocks
• mechanical exfoliation is the result of the expansion of rocks as they break apart in layers parallel to the earth's surface
• chemical weathering is the disintegration of rocks by chemical means. one example of this is oxidation
• erosion is the transportation of rock masses from one place to another