Re: Yes, there is a Mineral Definition

If a pearl, or teeth are minerals (instead of mineral - as in 
composition) then I suppose a kidney stone is as well - even a 'sneeze 
nugget'!

Isn't there some zincite or something that comes outta Polish industrial 
chimneys or something? Manmade but accidental (incidental?).

How about ice? or snow? ("Name 2 minerals that fall from the sky!")

fun discussion

Carl
1 Lucky Texan


Richard I. Gibson wrote:
> will e wrote:
>
> > Some minerals are formed either directly or indirectly by the action 
> > of Man
> > or other life forms and might be placed in the realm of "organic 
> > minerals",
> > especially those substances that contain carbon in its composition. 
>
>
>
> This has been an interesting discussion.  To keep it going a bit, I 
> would ask you folks whether or not you would consider a human kidney 
> stone to be a mineral?  Compositionally, most are the same as 
> "naturally" occurring inorganic minerals, such as apatite (though not 
> all - some are crystalline organic compounds such as uric acid and 
> cysteine) and a suite of much more obscure minerals (struvite, brushite, 
> newberyite, hannayite, whewellite, weddellite, and others).  But they 
> are "made" by humans.
>
> I suggest that they are still minerals, in that they occur naturally, 
> even if inside humans.  It is probably just a matter of semantics or 
> preference as to what to call them.
>
> http://www.gravmag.com/kstones.html for some pictures.
>
> cheers,
> dick gibson


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