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Is a pearl a mineral?

April 26, 2017Mineral pearl

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10 Posted

Is a pearl a mineral?

1 Answer

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10 Posted

A pearl is not mineral. The five characteristics a mineral must have is that it must be solid, it has to have a chemical composition, it has to be inorganic, and it has to be naturally made, also it has to have a definite crystalline structure. The pearl contains chemicals within it so it has a chemical composition. It is inorganic of course (it isn’t made of any remains or organic substances). It is not naturally made, however, making it not a mineral. Another reason it isn’t a mineral is because of its shape. Minerals must have a definite crystalline structure, but a pearl is round, marking off the structure it must have to qualify to be a mineral. It also is quite obviously solid.