Is Ore a mineral? I'm confused...

I've been asking myself if Ore is a rock or mineral? I searched for it and it was defined as a rock and in my daughter's book, it is a type mineral. What do you think about it? I'm confused.

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Ore is the rock that has an element or mineral in it that can be extracted. Think iron ore.

 

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All rock is mineral but minerals are ore only if they are valuable/useful and can be extracted.

 

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A rock isn't a specific mineral necessarily though. It can be made up of several minerals and can even have some organic material (which would not be a mineral).

 

A mineral has a specific defined structure that identifies it as that particular mineral. A rock can be made up of several different minerals (or even include some organic and therefore non-mineral material).

Ore is just valuable/concentrated mineral. There may be specks of copper in a rock for instance but when it's concentrated enough to be commercially viable it's then called copper ore.

 

Thanks for all your responses. You all have a point in there! Ore is a concentrated mineral.