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The definition for a mineral is:

Mineral - A naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes.

This definition is drawn straight from a book called The 22nd edition of the Manual of Mineral Science by Cornelis Klein.

Key words/phrases are:

-natural (they are formed naturally on earth)

-highly ordered atomic arrangement

-definite but not fixed chemical composition (ex: Quartz is always SiO2 or some form of that)

-formed inorganically (this is currently being debated because it is thought that some minerals may actually have help from organic substances.)

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