The International Mineralogical Association (IMA) currently recognises around five thousand distinct mineral species. Some, such as the major rock-forming silicates and carbonates, are well known and found in abundance the world over. But most are documented based on just a few known occurrences.
It’s unlikely that scientists will stumble across many new finds of singularly abundant minerals on Earth, but numerous rare minerals are probably yet to be discovered
Source: vimeo.com/danhprt
