![Print Print](https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth520/sites/all/modules/print/icons/print_icon.png)
![Contact the instructor if you have difficulty viewing this image](/earth520/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.earth520/files/image/snowflakes.jpg)
Two snowflakes. These were actually grown in a laboratory at Caltech. To see more, visit SnowCrystals.com.
Yes, a snowflake is a mineral.
Let's go through the definition of a mineral to see why a snowflake can be considered a mineral:
- Homogeneous: Snowflakes made of ice water are the same through and through.
- Naturally occurring: Snowflakes can be formed naturally when water freezes in cold air.
- Solid: Ice is solid.
- Inorganic substance: yes.
- Definable chemical composition: H2O
- Orderly arrangement of atoms in a lattice: yes