Lorne Leahy, age 13, of Peterborough, Ontario,Canada, for his question:     

Is it true that water is a mineral?

By definition, a mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic substance. In other words, it must belong to the earth and must not be any part of the plant or animal kingdoms, past or present. It may be an element of simple atoms, such as gold or silver. It may be a chemical compound made of molecules, such as silica. Most of the earth's minerals are solids at ordinary temperatures. There are hundreds of different ones in the earth's crust.

This may be why tae find it hard to believe that water is a true mineral. However, this chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen is a naturally occurring inorganic substance. Unlike most minerals, it happens to be liquid at normal temperatures. This fact does not disqualify it. Mercury certainly is a mineral, and it too is liquid at normal temperatures.