Which term represents the solid inorganic material that makes up rocks and sediments?

Which term represents the solid inorganic material that makes up rocks and sediments?

• A. Mineral
• B. Evaporite
• C. Hydrogenous Sediment
• D. Neritic Sediment

Answer: (A)

The solid inorganic material that forms rocks and makes up sediments is a mineral. Minerals are the basic, inorganic building blocks with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure. Rocks are typically aggregates of multiple minerals bound together, while sediments are made up of mineral grains or mineral precipitates that have been transported and deposited. Evaporites are minerals that form when seawater or saline water evaporates and leaves behind solid salts, so they’re a specific type of mineral (not the general term for all solid inorganic material). Hydrogenous sediment refers to sediments formed by the precipitation of minerals from seawater, a category of sediment rather than a single material. Neritic sediment describes where the sediment is deposited (on the continental shelf), not the material itself.

The solid inorganic material that forms rocks and makes up sediments is a mineral. Minerals are the basic, inorganic building blocks with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure. Rocks are typically aggregates of multiple minerals bound together, while sediments are made up of mineral grains or mineral precipitates that have been transported and deposited.

Evaporites are minerals that form when seawater or saline water evaporates and leaves behind solid salts, so they’re a specific type of mineral (not the general term for all solid inorganic material). Hydrogenous sediment refers to sediments formed by the precipitation of minerals from seawater, a category of sediment rather than a single material. Neritic sediment describes where the sediment is deposited (on the continental shelf), not the material itself.