The simple oxides are compounds of metallic elements with oxygen. They are called simple oxides because of their simple crystal structure and chemical composition. Water, hydrogen oxide (i.e. ice), is a mineral, and the commonest of all. This mineral group shows great range of hardness and color; some are opaque, others are transparent. Some are rare gems, and others are important ores. The simple oxides show similar variation in their origins, some of them forming deep in the earth's crust, and others developing at shallow depths or even on the surface. Chesterman, p. 393

Sources[edit]

• Chesterman, Charles W. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1987)

See also[edit]

• Mineral Classes
• Multiple Oxides