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.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
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.