The Earth's lithosphere is composed of a small amount of soil with all the rest being rock. Rocks are mainly made up of minerals that form its basic building blocks.

There are many types of naturally-occurring but most rocks are relatively simple. Five to six types of minerals make up most of the rocks on Earth and these minerals are known as "Rock-forming Minerals".

Common rock-forming minerals include Feldspar, Quartz, Mica, Amphibole, Pyroxene, Olivine, Calcite and Clay. Feldspar is the most common and accounts for 58% of the total crust. Quartz, Mica, Amphibole, Pyroxene and Olivine all account for over 1% of the Earth's curst as well. Clay minerals are formed through the weathering of Feldspar and Kaolinite is the most common. Calcite on the other hand is the main component in limestone.