Although many people do not think about Ice as a mineral, it is a mineral just as much as Quartz is. Ice is a naturally occurring compound with a defined chemical formula and crystal structure, thus making it a legitimate mineral. Its only limitation, in comparison to all other minerals, is that it is not stable at room temperature.

Ice is colorless, unless impure. Flaws and cracks cause it to have a white color. Snow is colorless, but the reflections of its crystal sides cause it to appear white. Snow has a most interesting crystal habit. Each crystal flake of snow forms a unique hexagonal pattern, with intriguing and interesting shapes that are all very different. Snow crystals cling together to form snowflakes.

Hailstones are formed in thunderclouds, where small water particles are tossed about from the wind, accumulating layers of Ice. When the Hailstones get heavy and can no longer remain suspended in a cloud, they fall to the earth. Hailstones up to 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter have  fallen in certain regions.

Glaciers are formed when snow fails to melt and accumulates, and eventually starts "flowing" downhill like a river. When a moving glacier reaches a body of water, it forms Icebergs, or floating "mountains" of compressed snow.