Our planet is primarily made up of rocks and rocks are made up of mineral grains

that have been combined diversely and have varied characteristics. Rocks and minerals
are all around us, and their wonders extend well beyond what we are aware of. This
Synthesis Paper will be discussing the origins of naturally occurring materials, and how they
contribute greatly to human lives. Information from this synthesis paper is curated from the
educational video of Mr. Mike Sammartano and Mr. Enlightener on the YouTube platform
namely: “A Brief Introduction to Minerals” (2013) and “How Rocks are Formed | The Rock Cycle
Explained !!” (2020), respectively. In light of the two videos watched, people would be able to
gain knowledge regarding the origins of naturally occurring wonders from Earth and on Earth—
the rocks and minerals, and the profound impact they have on daily lives on which not everyone
is aware of.

Rocks and minerals, manifests in a lot of ways, but first, where do they come from?
Minerals are chemical substances that exist naturally, rocks’ building blocks, and have atoms
organized in three-dimensional configurations. The elements and their combinations give each
mineral a distinct look and set of characteristics. When the same chemical components are
organized in different patterns, they exhibit distinct properties. Thus, different minerals exhibit
distinct color, shape, textures, and other physical configurations. For minerals to be recognized
as minerals, criteria must be met. From the video, the first criteria given is that (1) “The material
must exist as a solid under normal Earth circumstances.". Next criteria (2) “The material must
be naturally existing on Earth and not created artificially.” Aside from that, (3) "The material
must be inorganic, nonliving, or derived from nonliving entities.". Moreover, (4) “The material
must have a defined chemical formula and be composed of certain components.” and lastly, (5)
“The atoms that make up the material must be organized in a systematic manner.”  

On the other hand, dating back from millions of years ago, rocks are the primary
constituents of our planet and many others in the solar system, and are the resultant aggregates
of one or two minerals. Most rocks have undergone various changes over time:  formation,
alteration, destruction, and reformation because of natural processes. Furthermore, it is on the
Earth’s lithosphere where rocks are produced and reformed. There are three types of rocks:
igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. As a result, there are three unique explanations with
regards to the question, "How are rocks formed?", relatively speaking, the Rock formation.

Aside from the fact that both rocks and minerals are naturally occurring materials, both
have explicit benefit to human’s civilization. They aid in the development of new technologies
and are employed in our daily lives. Rocks and minerals are used in a variety of applications,
including construction, cosmetics, automobiles, highways, appliances, and even daily
necessities.