Which statement explains one way that minerals form?

• A. Minerals form when gases condense directly into liquids at room temperature.
• B. Minerals are formed only by the evaporation of organic compounds.
• C. Minerals are produced exclusively by living organisms during photosynthesis.
• D. Minerals can crystallize from cooling magma as atoms arrange into orderly patterns.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that minerals are naturally occurring inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and an ordered atomic structure.
2. Recognize that one common way minerals form is through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava beneath or on the Earth's surface.
3. When magma cools, atoms slow down and begin to arrange themselves into orderly, repeating patterns, forming crystals—this process is called crystallization.
4. This crystallization from cooling magma results in the formation of minerals with specific crystal structures and compositions.
5. Therefore, the statement 'Minerals can crystallize from cooling magma as atoms arrange into orderly patterns' correctly explains one way minerals form.