A mineral is a solid material, made of one substance, that occurs naturally on Earth. Most of the common minerals are made of crystals. A Crystal is a solid formed by a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms, ions, or molecules and having fixed distances between the different parts. Minerals that do not grow in these regular or crystalline patterns are called Amorphous solids. Some minerals can be both crystalline and amorphous. The two photos above show a crystalline quartz specimen and an amorphous quartz specimen.
Quartz is a mineral made from one substance SiO2 (Silicon Oxide) that has a definite chemical composition. The quartz that you find in Asia has the same basic chemical make up as quartz found in Minnesota.
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