Minerals occur in specific geologic environments that range from deep within the Earth and subject to high temperature and pressure conditions, to near the surface in low temperature and pressure environments ("Geology Topics", 2002). As such, each mineral has a very specific set of chemical and physical properties making it a unique formulation. They are a necessary component in the make up of the Earth's three major "rock" types (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary). Inorganic, minerals have an internal order and defined chemical composition. In Florida, for example, the more common minerals include quartz, aragonite, calcite, kaolinite and montmorillonite. In certain areas of Florida as well as in various parts of the world, minerals are of such economic importance that they are mined. In the southwestern area of Florida, phosphate minerals are mined and used in fertilizers. Florida has the distinction of producing approximately twenty-five percent of the world's phosphate.
Today's economy is global in nature and the economic security of any country is dependent upon how accessible is the availability of mineral resources (Schulz & Back, 2002) regardless of whether or not these resources are captive or secured within the global marketplace. At the present time, there are no known shortages of non-fuel mineral resources or are there any expected to occur in the foreseeable future. This is not to say that shortages could not happen in the future especially when c
25 
)
= 853
= 3 (250 words per page)
