GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Minerals that are composed of atoms from a single element are referred to as native elements. The minerals in the gold group all occur together in the periodic table of elements and have a common crystal structure, which is the way their atoms, ions, and molecules arrange.

Detailed explanation-2: -Native elements are minerals that are composed of only one element. About 20 minerals are native elements. Some examples are gold (Au), platinum (Pt), diamond (C), copper (Cu), sulfur (S), and silver (Ag). Carbonates are minerals that contain combinations of carbon and oxygen in their chemical structure.

Detailed explanation-3: -These native elements are commonly divided into three groups-namely, metals (platinum, iridium, osmium, iron, zinc, tin, gold, silver, copper, mercury, lead, chromium); semimetals (bismuth, antimony, arsenic, tellurium, selenium); and nonmetals (sulfur, carbon).

Detailed explanation-4: -A native metal is one that exists in nature (on earth’s surface) in its actual metallic form. It can either exist in pure form or as an alloy. Some such native metals that we can identify as such are iron, tin, tungsten, antimony, arsenic and zinc.

Detailed explanation-5: -Minerals made of only one element are called NATIVE minerals (i.e., silver, gold, mercury, copper).