ELEMENTS
Elements are fundamental substances of matter - matter
that is composed of all the same atom type. At present, 118 elements are known
(four of them are still unnamed). Of these, 98 occur naturally on Earth (hydrogen
to californium). Most of these
occur in rocks & minerals, although some occur in very small, trace
amounts. Only some elements occur in their native elemental state as
minerals.
To find a native element in nature, it must be
relatively non-reactive and there must be some concentration process.
Metallic, semimetallic (metalloid), and nonmetallic elements are known in their
native state as minerals.