Do Minerals Break Down? Answering the Geological Question
                                
                                
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                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                Over 66% of the Earth's continents are covered in sedimentary rock, a product of weathered and eroded materials. This remarkable statistic hints at a fundamental geological truth: minerals, while stable under certain conditions, absolutely break down when exposed to the Earth's surface. This process, known as weathering, drives the continuous reshaping of our planet's crust and is a key part of the rock cycle.