Oxide mineral

An oxide mineral is a naturally occurring mineral composed chiefly of oxygen combined with one or more metallic elements. Its structure and chemistry distinguish it from silicates, sulfides, and other mineral classes.

Oxide: A chemical compound in which oxygen is bonded to another element. Oxide minerals are naturally occurring mineral forms of oxygen-bearing compounds.
Hematite: An iron oxide mineral, Fe₂O₃, that is a major source of iron ore. Hematite is a common oxide mineral and a principal iron ore.
Oxidation: A chemical process in which a substance loses electrons or increases its oxidation state. Oxidation can produce metal oxides as minerals in rocks and weathering environments.
Iron ore: Rock or mineral material mined for economically recoverable iron. Hematite and magnetite are the chief oxide minerals used as iron ores.
Silicate mineral: A mineral built from silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, often combined with other elements. Silicates contain oxygen too, but their defining structural units include silicon.
Crystal structure: The ordered, repeating arrangement of atoms in a crystalline solid. Atomic arrangements control the physical properties of individual oxide minerals.
Magnetite: An iron oxide mineral, Fe₃O₄, with strong natural magnetism. Its magnetic behavior makes magnetite a distinctive oxide-mineral example.
Weathering: The breakdown and alteration of rocks and minerals at or near Earth's surface. Weathering transforms primary minerals and concentrates many iron and aluminum oxides.
Bauxite: The principal aluminum ore, consisting mainly of aluminum hydroxide minerals with impurities. Its aluminum-bearing minerals are commonly associated with iron oxides formed during weathering.
Sulfide mineral: A mineral in which sulfur is combined with one or more metallic elements. Sulfides are another major ore-mineral class, distinguished by sulfur rather than oxygen.

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