Minerals

A mineral can be defined as a naturally occurring inorganic solid that possesses an orderly internal structure and a definite chemical composition. Some people, like physicists, might be guilty of picking up a rock and calling it a mineral. The term "rock" is less specific, referring to any solid mass of mineral or mineral-like material. Common rocks are often made up of crystals of several kinds of minerals. There are some substances, like opal, which have the appearance of a mineral but lack any definite internal structure, are sometimes called "mineraloids". Lutgens and Tarbuck give the following list of essential characteristics of a "mineral":

  1. It must occur naturally.
  2. It must be inorganic
  3. It must be a solid
  4. It must possess an orderly internal structure, that is, its atoms must be arranged in a definite pattern.
  5. It must have a definite chemical composition that may vary within specified limits."

The most common minerals are the silicates, as one would guess by looking at the abundances of the elements in the Earth's crust, but there is a great variety of minerals. Minerals are classified in many ways, including hardness, optical properties, crystal structure, etc. Shipman, et al. comment that over 2000 minerals have been found in the Earth's crust, but that about 20 of them are common and fewer than 10 account for over 90% of the crust by mass.

Non-silicates constitute less than 10% of the Earth's crust. The most common non-silicates are the carbonates, the oxides, and the sulfides. There are also naturally occuring phosphates and salts. There are a few elements which occur in pure form, including gold, silver, copper, bismuth, arsenic, lead and tellurium. Carbon is found in both graphite and diamond form. Some minerals are valued as gems because of their hardness, color and beauty.

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A
Acanthite
Actinolite
Adamite
Aegirine
Aeschynite
Alabandite
Albite
Alexandrite
Allanite
Almandine
Alstonite
Amblygonite
Amethyst
Amphibole
Analcime
Anatase
Andalusite
Andesine
Andorite
Andradite
Anglesite
Anhydrite
Anorthite
Antigorite
Antimony
Antlerite
Aphthitalite
Apophyllite
Aquamarine
Aragonite
Ardennite
Arrojadite
Arsenic
Arsenopyrite
Artinite
Astrophyllite
Atacamite
Augite
Awaruite
Azurite

B
Babingtonite
Bannisterite
Barite
Bastnaesite
Bayldonite
Becquerelite
Benitoite
Benstonite
Berthierite
Bertrandite
Beryl
Beryllonite
Betekhtinite
Beudantite
Bikitaite
Biotite
Birnessite
Bismuth
Bismuthinite
Bismuthite
Bixbyite
Boleite
Boltwoodite
Boracite
Borax
Bornite
Boulangerite
Bournonite
Brazilianite
Brewsterite
Brochantite
Bromargyrite
Brookite
Brucite
Buergerite
Bustamite
...
...
...
...


C
Cafarsite
Calaverite
Calcite
Caledonite
Callaghanite
Cancrinite
Carletonite
Carrollite
Cassiterite
Catapleiite
Cavansite
Celestite
Cerussite
Chalcocite
Chalcophanite
Chalcophyllite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcosiderite
Chalcostibite
Charlesite
Charoite
Childrenite
Chlorapatite
Chlorargyrite
Chlorite
Chondrodite
Chromite
Chrysoberyl
Chrysotile
Cinnabar
Clausthalite
Clinochlore
Clinoclase
Clintonite
Cobaltite
Colemanite
Collinsite
Columbite
Connellite
Cookeite
Copper
Cordierite
Cornetite
Corundum
Covellite
Creedite
Crocidolite
Crocoite
Cronstedtite
Cryolite
Cubanite
Cumengite
Cuprite
Curite
Cyanotrichite
Cylindrite
...
...
...
...


D
Danburite
Datolite
Delafossite
Descloizite
Devilline
Diaboleite
Diamond
Diaspore
Digenite
Diopside
Dioptase
Dolomite
Dravite
Dufrenoysite
Duftite
Dumortierite
Dyscrasite
...
...
...


E
Edenite
Edingtonite
Elbaite
Elpidite
Emerald
Emplectite
Enargite
Enstatite
Eosphorite
Epididymite
Epidote
Erythrite
Euclase
Eudialyte
Euxenite


F
Fairfieldite
Feldspar
Ferberite
Ferroaxinite
Fluorapatite
Fluorapophyllite
Fluorite
Forsterite
Francevillite
Franckeite
Franklinite
...
...
...
...


G
Gadolinite
Gahnite
Galena
Garnet
Germanite
Gersdorffite
Glaucodot
Glaucophane
Gmelinite
Goethite
Gold
Goshenite
Graftonite
Graphite
Gratonite
Grossular
Grunerite
Gwendel
Gypsum
Gyrolite


H
Halite
Hambergite
Hanksite
Hardystonite
Hausmannite
Hauyne
Hedenbergite
Heliodor
Helvite
Hematite
Hemimorphite
Herderite
Hessite
Hetaerolite
Heulandite
Hibonite
Hodgkinsonite
Hollandite
Hornblende
Howlite
Hubnerite
Hulsite
Hureaulite
Hutchinsonite
Hyalophane


I
Ilmenite
Ilvaite
Inderite
Inesite
Inyoite
Iron
...
...
...
...


J
Jamesonite
Jarosite
Jeremejevite
Joaquinite
Jordanite


K
Kasolite
Kermesite
Kernite
Kimberlite
Kleinite
Kornerupine
Kottigite
Krennerite
Krohnkite
Kulanite
Kurnakovite
Kyanite
...
...
...


L
Labradorite
Lanarkite
Langbanite
Laumontite
Laurionite
Lawsonite
Lazulite
Lazurite
Lead
Leadhillite
Legrandite
Lepidocrocite
Lepidolite
Leucite
Leucophanite
Leucophoenicite
Libethenite
Linnaeite
Liroconite
Loellingite
Ludlamite
Ludlockite
...
...
...


M
Magnesite
Magnetite
Malachite
Manganaxinite
Mn Oxide
Manganite
Manganocolumbite
Manganotantalite
Marcasite
Margarite
Marialite
Matlockite
Mcgovernite
Meionite
Melanophlogite
Mellite
Mendipite
Merwinite
Mesolite
Meta-autunite
Metatorbernite
Miargyrite
Mica
Microcline
Microlite
Milarite
Millerite
Mimetite
Molybdenite
Monazite
Montebrasite
Montroydite
Morganite
Mottramite
Muscovite


N
Nadorite
Nagyagite
Nepheline
Neptunite
Newberyite
Nickel-skutterrudite
Norbergite
Northupite
...
...


O
Okenite
Oligoclase
Olivenite
Olivine
Opal
Orthoclase
...
...
...
...


P
Painite
Paradamite
Paramelaconite
Paravauxite
Parisite
Pectolite
Penninite
Perovskite
Petalite
Phenakite
Phillipsite
Phlogopite
Phosgenite
Phosphophyllite
Plagioclase
Plagionite
Plancheite
Platinum
Plattnerite
Polybasite
Poudrettite
Powellite
Prehnite
Proberite
Proustite
Pseudobrookite
Pseudomalachite
Pyrargyrite
Pyrite
Pyroaurite
Pyrochroite
Pyrolusite
Pyromorphite
Pyrope
Pyrophyllite
Pyrosmalite
Pyroxene
Pyroxmangite
Pyrrhotite
...

Q
Quartz

R
Ramsdellite
Reinerite
Rhodochrosite
Rhodonite
Riebeckite
Roeblingite
Romanechite
Romeite
Roscherite
Roselite
Ruby
Rutile
...
...
...

S
Sabugalite
Safflorite
Samarskite
Sapphire
Sapphirine
Scapolite
Scheelite
Scholzite
Schorl
Scolecite
Scorodite
Selenite
Sellaite
Semseyite
Senaite
Senarmontite
Serandite
Shattuckite
Siderite
Siegenite
Sillimanite
Silver
Simpsonite
Sinhalite
Skutterudite
Smithsonite
Sodalite
Sonolite
Sperrylite
Spessartine
Sphalerite
Spinel
Spodumene
Spurrite
Stannite
Staurolite
Stephanite
Stibarsen
Stibiconite
Stibiotantalite
Stibnite
Stichtite
Stilbite
Stokesite
Stolzite
Strengite
Strontianite
Strunzite
Sturmanite
Sugilite
Sulfohalite
Sulfur
Sussexite
Sylvanite
Sylvite
Syngenite
Szaibelyite
...
...
...

T
Taaffeite
Talc
Tapiolite
Tarbuttite
Tellurium
Tennantite
Tennantite-tetrahedrite
Tetrahedrite
Thenardite
Thomsonite
Thorianite
Thortveitite
Tincalconite
Titanite
Topaz
Tourmaline
Trapiche
Tremolite
Triphylite
Tsumebite
Tugtupite
Tunellite
Turquoise
Tyrolite
...

U
Ulexite
Ullmannite
Uraninite
Uvarovite
Uvite

V
Valentinite
Vanadinite
Variscite
Vauxite
Vesuvianite
Veszelyite
Vivianite
Volborthite
...
...

W
Wardite
Warwickite
Wavellite
Weloganite
Whewellite
Whiteite
Willemite
Wiluite
Witherite
Wolframite
Wollastonite
Wulfenite
Wurtzite
...
...

X
Xenotime

Z
Zektzerite
Zincite
Zinkenite
Zircon
Zoisite
Zunyite
...
...
...
...


Selection of common minerals
Index

References
Lutgens & Tarbuck
Ch 2

Shipman, et al.
Ch 21


Mindat
 
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Carbonates

The carbonate ion (CO32-) can bond with a variety of other ions to produce the carbonate minerals. The bonding with calcium to form the mineral calcite produces one of the most abundant of the non-silicate minerals. All carbonates have the property of dissolving easily in acidic water.

Carbonates
Alstonite
Aragonite
Artenite
Azurite
Bastnaesite
Benstonite
Calcite
Callaghanite
Cerussite
Dolomite
Magnesite
Malachite
Meionite
Northupite
Phosgenite
Pyroaurite
Rhodochrosite
Siderite
Smithsonite
Stichtite
Strontianite
Tyrolite
Weloganite
Whewellite
Witherite
Minerals
Index

Reference
Lutgens & Tarbuck
Ch 2
 
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Oxides

Oxygen, the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, bonds readily with a number of metallic ions to form the oxides. These oxides form important ores for the metal resources.

Oxides
Adamite
Aeschynite
Alexandrite
Anatase
Bayldonite
Becquerelite
Bixbyite
Borax
Brookite
Cassiterite
Chalcophanite
Chromite
Chrysoberyl
Colemanite
Columbite
Corundum
Crocoite
Cuprite
Curite
Delafossite
Descloizite
Diaspore
Euxenite
Ferberite
Franklinite
Gahnite
Goethite
Hambergite
Haussmannite
Hematite
Hetaerolite
Hollandite
Hubnerite
Ilmenite
Inderite
Inyoite
Jeremejevite
Kernite
Kurnakovite
Legrandite
Magnetite
Manganite
Manganocolumbite
Manganotantalite
Melanophlogite
Microlite
Montroydite
Mottramite
Olivenite
Painite
Paramelaconite
Plattnerite
Powellite
Proberite
Pseudobrookite
Pyrolusite
Ramsdellite
Romanechite
Romeite
Ruby
Rutile
Sapphire
Scheelite
Scorodite
Senaite
Senarmontite
Simpsonite
Spinel
Stibiconite
Stibiotantalite
Stolzite
Taafeite
Tapiolite
Thorianite
Tincalconite
Tunellite
Uraninite
Valentinite
Volborthite
Warwickite
Wolframite
Wulfenite
Zincite
...
...
Minerals
Index

Reference
Lutgens & Tarbuck
Ch 2
 
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Sulfides and Sulfates

Sulfur ions (S2- ) bind with a number of positive ions to form the sulfide minerals. Many of them are important ores for the ions to which they bind.

Sulfides
Acanthite
Alabandite
Andorite
Arsenopyrite
Berthierite
Betekhtinite
Bornite
Boulangerite
Bournonite
Carrollite
Chalcocite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcostibite
Cinnabar
Cobaltite
Connellite
Covellite
Cubanite
Cylindrite
Digenite
Dufrenoysite
Emplectite
Enargite
Franckeite
Galena
Germanite
Gersdorffite
Glaucodot
Gratonite
Hutchinsonite
Jamesonite
Jordanite
Kermesite
Linnaeite
Marcasite
Miargyrite
Millerite
Molybdenite
Nagyagite
Plagionite
Polybasite
Proustite
Pyrargyrite
Pyrite
Pyrrhotite
Semseyite
Siegenite
Sphalerite
Stannite
Stephanite
Stibnite
Tennantite
Tetrahedrite
Ullmannite
Wurtzite
Zinkenite
...
...
...
...
Sulfates
Anglesite
Anhydrite
Antlerite
Aphthitalite
Barite
Beudantite
Celestite
Charlesite
Creedite
Cyanotrichite
Devilline
Gypsum
Jarosite
Kleinite
Krohnkite
Lanarkite
Sturmanite
Sulfohalite
Syngenite
Thenardite
Tsumebite
...
...
...
...
Minerals
Index

Reference
Lutgens & Tarbuck
Ch 2
 
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Phosphates

Phosphorous in the form of phosphate ions (PO43- ) binds with positive ions to form the phosphate minerals.

Phosphates
Amblygonite
Arrojadite
Beryllonite
Brazilianite
Chalcosiderite
Childrenite
Chlorapatite
Collinsite
Cornetite
Eosphorite
Fairfieldite
Fluorapatite
Graftonite
Herderite
Hureaulite
Kulanite
Lazulite
Libethenite
Ludlamite
Meta-autunite
Metatorbernite
Monazite
Montebrasite
Newberyite
Paravauxite
Phosphophyllite
Pseudomalachite
Pyromorphite
Sabugalite
Scholzite
Strengite
Tarbuttite
Triphylite
Tsumebite
Turquoise
Variscite
Vauxite
Veszelyite
Vivianite
Wardite
Wavellite
Whiteite
Xenotime
...
...
Minerals
Index

Reference
Lutgens & Tarbuck
Ch 2
 
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