A mineral can be defined as a naturally occurring inorganic solid that possesses an orderly internal structure and a definite chemical composition. Some people, like physicists, might be guilty of picking up a rock and calling it a mineral. The term "rock" is less specific, referring to any solid mass of mineral or mineral-like material. Common rocks are often made up of crystals of several kinds of minerals. There are some substances, like opal, which have the appearance of a mineral but lack any definite internal structure, are sometimes called "mineraloids". Lutgens and Tarbuck give the following list of essential characteristics of a "mineral":
- It must occur naturally.
- It must be inorganic
- It must be a solid
- It must possess an orderly internal structure, that is, its atoms must be arranged in a definite pattern.
- It must have a definite chemical composition that may vary within specified limits."
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