Good question! Minerals form in many different ways in different kinds of geologic environments. Basically, minerals form when chemical components join together to form a solid structure. Most of the minerals in the Earth have crystallized from something called magma. Magma is rock that is so hot that it is liquid instead of solid. When magma cools, the chemical components join together to build minerals. The minerals join together to form a rock. Other minerals, like halite (table salt), form when water solutions dry out. In a solution, sodium and chlorine (the chemical components of halite) are not joined together, but when the solution is dried out, the sodium and chlorine join together and crystallize halite.

Minerals can form in several ways. They can form when magma crystallizes. They can also form due to weathering of existing rocks, or they can form by precipitating dissolved chemicals from water. One other way minerals can form is during the process of "metamorphosis" -- when rocks of one type gradually get transformed into another kind of rock. I hope this helps!

Minerals have several different ways in which they can form, which relate to the different ways that rocks can form: igneous minerals crystallize from molten rock, metamorphic minerals are recrystallized from other minerals without melting, and sedimentary minerals precipitate from water and, sometimes, from air.

Minerals are made up of solid crystals. But how do these crystals form? There are three main ways it can happen.

The first way has to do with salty water (like the water in the ocean). When salty water loses water it becomes saltier and saltier. At a certain point when there is more salt and less water the things in the salt, called ions, begin to link together to form mineral crystals. They link together just like a necklace or bracelet chain.

The second way minerals form has to do with things cooling down. Have you ever seen a volcano? Well I have not but I have seen the pictures of magma and lava pouring out of a volcano. But what happens when this very hot lava starts to cool down? When the lava cools, it also crystallizes and forms minerals. This is actually how most of the minerals in the center of our earth formed. The process of mineral formation during the cooling of magmas and lavas is the most important process of mineral formation on the Earth.

Finally, some minerals are formed by a very complicated combination of changes in pressure and temperature. Some chemicals are very sensitive to even small changes in temperature and pressure. You´re natural body temperature is 98.6 degrees F. When you get sick, you might get a fever and then you might have a body temperature of 100 degrees F. This does not feel very nice but you will get better and be fine. But some things on our earth (and even some minerals) are very sensitive to changes in temperature. So instead of just getting sick they might completely change into another type of mineral! Glad you are not a mineral, right!?