Iron is most
often found in
alloy with nickel, and even then it is a rare element to find on the
Earth's surface. But it does occur in iron
minerals like iron oxides magnetite, hematite, limonite and
goethite. And it also occurs in smaller amounts in about 200 other
minerals, including
arsenopyrite, bronzite, pyrite,
chalcopyrite, chromite, ferrihydrite
ferrimolybdite, ferroselite, iron sulfide, pyroxferroite and pyrrhotite.
Zinc is a
native element
that is not found by itself but in minerals. Zinc
minerals include
but
are not limited to sphalerite, willemite, clinohedrite, zincite,
smithsonite, phosphophyllite, fraipontite, wurtzite, staurolite,
jeffersonite, rosasite, goslarite, herbertsmithite, reinerite, adamite
and hopeite.
Copper
is also a native
element, stable enough to not to react with other elements too much but
it is sometimes found in copper
minerals such as copper oxides like azurite
and malachite, as well as copper sulphides like bornite, covellite,
chalcocite, chalcopyrite,
enargite,
tetrahedrite,
and in fact in more than 100 other minerals.
Sulphur is a
natural element which is yellow and can either be massive, or occur in
tabular or pyramidal crystals. It can be found in sulphide and sulphate
minerals (sulphur minerals) such as stibnite, sphalerite, galena,
cinnabar, pyrite,
barite, alunite and gypsum.
Gold is a native element,
but it is also found in some minerals. Gold
minerals, or minerals that
contain gold are auricupride, aurostibite, calaverite, kostovite,
krennerite, nagyágite, petzite, rhodite, sylvanite and
uytenbogaardtite.
Clay
minerals
are very fine grained minerals such as kaolinite, illite, halloysite,
bentonite, talc, and green and brown nontronite. Under the microscope
it can
be seen that they consist of thin plates. They form mostly from the
weathering of feldspars and other minerals rich in aluminium. They are
often found in soils, sediments, and sedimentary rocks.
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