MINERALS

MINERALS, natural bodies of uniform composition and properties, formed as a result of physical and chemical processes on Earth and other planets, a component of rocks. M. are mainly solid, rarely liquid (mercury) and gaseous (natural gases). By abundance, M. can be rock forming, auxiliary (accessory), and rare. M. are used as abrasives, precious stones, ornamental stones, etc; synthetic M. are received using industrial methods. Bashkortostan has the majority of known M. of magmatic, metamorphic, hydrothermal, and sedimentary origin (according to A.A.Malakhov, 275 M. have been discovered), including rare M.: lawsonite, sellaite, kalistroncite (discovered in 1962 in the territory of Fyodorovsky Raion).