<P> Recent advances in high - resolution genetics and X-ray absorption spectroscopy are providing revelations on the biogeochemical relations between microorganisms and minerals that may make Nickel's (1995) biogenic mineral exclusion obsolete and Skinner's (2005) biogenic mineral inclusion a necessity . For example, the IMA commissioned "Environmental Mineralogy and Geochemistry Working Group" deals with minerals in the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere . The group's scope includes mineral - forming microorganisms, which exist on nearly every rock, soil, and particle surface spanning the globe to depths of at least 1600 metres below the sea floor and 70 kilometres into the stratosphere (possibly entering the mesosphere). Biogeochemical cycles have contributed to the formation of minerals for billions of years . Microorganisms can precipitate metals from solution, contributing to the formation of ore deposits . They can also catalyze the dissolution of minerals . </P> <P> Prior to the International Mineralogical Association's listing, over 60 biominerals had been discovered, named, and published . These minerals (a sub-set tabulated in Lowenstam (1981)) are considered minerals proper according to the Skinner (2005) definition . These biominerals are not listed in the International Mineral Association official list of mineral names, however, many of these biomineral representatives are distributed amongst the 78 mineral classes listed in the Dana classification scheme . Another rare class of minerals (primarily biological in origin) include the mineral liquid crystals that have properties of both liquids and crystals . To date over 80,000 liquid crystalline compounds have been identified . </P> <P> The Skinner (2005) definition of a mineral takes this matter into account by stating that a mineral can be crystalline or amorphous, the latter group including liquid crystals . Although biominerals and liquid mineral crystals, are not the most common form of minerals, they help to define the limits of what constitutes a mineral proper . The formal Nickel (1995) definition explicitly mentioned crystallinity as a key to defining a substance as a mineral . A 2011 article defined icosahedrite, an aluminium - iron - copper alloy as mineral; named for its unique natural icosahedral symmetry, it is a quasicrystal . Unlike a true crystal, quasicrystals are ordered but not periodic . </P> <P> Minerals are not equivalent to rocks . A rock is either an aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids . Some rocks, such as limestone or quartzite, are composed primarily of one mineral--calcite or aragonite in the case of limestone, and quartz in the latter case . Other rocks can be defined by relative abundances of key (essential) minerals; a granite is defined by proportions of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase feldspar . The other minerals in the rock are termed accessory, and do not greatly affect the bulk composition of the rock . Rocks can also be composed entirely of non-mineral material; coal is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of organically derived carbon . </P>

Explain the relationship between chemical elements and mineral properties