We typically encounter water as liquid or vapor at the Earth's surface (save for the poles). So in that environment it's not really a mineral, but on the moon, mars, on comets - it's as much a mineral as the olivine and iron and nickel. My students always get a kick out of that.
We typically encounter water as liquid or vapor at the Earth's surface (save for the poles). So in that environment it's not really a mineral, but on the moon, mars, on comets - it's as much a mineral as the olivine and iron and nickel. My students always get a kick out of that.
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly. I remember when I took glaciology that that is the primary instance where it was referred to as a mineral.
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