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How can I tell if something is a mineral or not?

Mineral or not?

Try this: why is it that a natural diamond is a mineral, but a synthetic one technically is not? Answer: because to a geologist, a mineral has meet certain specific criteria. It has to be solid, for starters. Also, it has to be inorganic (not a plant!), natural (man-made stones don't count!), with a specific chemical composition (quartz is always SiO2) and a crystalline structure.

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