Portal:Minerals

The Minerals Portal

In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.

The geological definition of mineral normally excludes compounds that occur only in living organisms. However, some minerals are often biogenic (such as calcite) or organic compounds in the sense of chemistry (such as mellite). Moreover, living organisms often synthesize inorganic minerals (such as hydroxylapatite) that also occur in rocks.

The concept of mineral is distinct from rock, which is any bulk solid geologic material that is relatively homogeneous at a large enough scale. A rock may consist of one type of mineral or may be an aggregate of two or more different types of minerals, spacially segregated into distinct phases.

Some natural solid substances without a definite crystalline structure, such as opal or obsidian, are more properly called mineraloids. If a chemical compound occurs naturally with different crystal structures, each structure is considered a different mineral species. Thus, for example, quartz and stishovite are two different minerals consisting of the same compound, silicon dioxide. (Full article...)

Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization. (Full article...)

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Image 1
Crystal structure of table salt (sodium in purple, chlorine in green)

In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of the ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from the intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat along the principal directions of three-dimensional space in matter.

The smallest group of particles in a material that constitutes this repeating pattern is the unit cell of the structure. The unit cell completely reflects the symmetry and structure of the entire crystal, which is built up by repetitive translation of the unit cell along its principal axes. The translation vectors define the nodes of the Bravais lattice.

The lengths of principal axes/edges, of the unit cell and angles between them are lattice constants, also called lattice parameters or cell parameters. The symmetry properties of a crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space may be described by 230 space groups.

The crystal structure and symmetry play a critical role in determining many physical properties, such as cleavage, electronic band structure, and optical transparency. (Full article...)
Image 2
Green fluorite with prominent cleavage

Cleavage, in mineralogy and materials science, is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite crystallographic structural planes. These planes of relative weakness are a result of the regular locations of atoms and ions in the crystal, which create smooth repeating surfaces that are visible both in the microscope and to the naked eye. If bonds in certain directions are weaker than others, the crystal will tend to split along the weakly bonded planes. These flat breaks are termed "cleavage". The classic example of cleavage is mica, which cleaves in a single direction along the basal pinacoid, making the layers seem like pages in a book. In fact, mineralogists often refer to "books of mica".

Diamond and graphite provide examples of cleavage. Each is composed solely of a single element, carbon. In diamond, each carbon atom is bonded to four others in a tetrahedral pattern with short covalent bonds. The planes of weakness (cleavage planes) in a diamond are in four directions, following the faces of the octahedron. In graphite, carbon atoms are contained in layers in a hexagonal pattern where the covalent bonds are shorter (and thus even stronger) than those of diamond. However, each layer is connected to the other with a longer and much weaker van der Waals bond. This gives graphite a single direction of cleavage, parallel to the basal pinacoid. So weak is this bond that it is broken with little force, giving graphite a slippery feel as layers shear apart. As a result, graphite makes an excellent dry lubricant.

While all single crystals will show some tendency to split along atomic planes in their crystal structure, if the differences between one direction or another are not large enough, the mineral will not display cleavage. Corundum, for example, displays no cleavage. (Full article...)
Image 3

Borax (also referred to as sodium borate, tincal (/ˈtɪŋkəl/) and tincar (/ˈtɪŋkər/)) is a salt (ionic compound) normally encountered as a hydrated borate of sodium, with the chemical formula Na₂H₂₀B₄O₁₇. Borax mineral is a crystalline borate mineral that occurs in only a few places worldwide in quantities that enable it to be mined economically.

Borax can be dehydrated by heating into other forms with less water of hydration. The anhydrous form of borax can also be obtained from the decahydrate or other hydrates by heating and then grinding the resulting glasslike solid into a powder. It is a white crystalline solid that dissolves in water to make a basic solution due to the tetraborate anion.

Borax is commonly available in powder or granular form and has many industrial and household uses, including as a pesticide, as a metal soldering flux, as a component of glass, enamel, and pottery glazes, for tanning of skins and hides, for artificial aging of wood, as a preservative against wood fungus, as a food additive, and as a pharmaceutic alkalizer. In chemical laboratories it is used as a buffering agent.

The terms tincal and tincar refer to the naturally-occurring borax historically mined from dry lake beds in various parts of Asia. (Full article...)
$Image 4 Graphite specimen Graphite (/ˈɡræfaɪt/) is a crystalline allotrope (form) of the element carbon. It consists of many stacked layers of graphene, typically in excess of hundreds of layers. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on a large scale (1.3 million metric tons per year in 2022) for uses in many critical industries including refractories (50%), lithium-ion batteries (18%), foundries (10%), and lubricants (5%), among others (17%). Graphite converts to diamond under extremely high pressure and temperature. Graphite's low cost, thermal and chemical inertness and characteristic conductivity of heat and electricity finds numerous applications in high energy and high temperature processes. (Full article...)$

Image 4

Graphite specimen

Graphite (/ˈɡræfaɪt/) is a crystalline allotrope (form) of the element carbon. It consists of many stacked layers of graphene, typically in excess of hundreds of layers. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on a large scale (1.3 million metric tons per year in 2022) for uses in many critical industries including refractories (50%), lithium-ion batteries (18%), foundries (10%), and lubricants (5%), among others (17%). Graphite converts to diamond under extremely high pressure and temperature. Graphite's low cost, thermal and chemical inertness and characteristic conductivity of heat and electricity finds numerous applications in high energy and high temperature processes. (Full article...)
Image 5
A rock containing three crystals of pyrite (FeS₂). The crystal structure of pyrite is primitive cubic, and this is reflected in the cubic symmetry of its natural crystal facets.

In crystallography, the cubic (or isometric) crystal system is a crystal system where the unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals.

There are three main varieties of these crystals:
- Primitive cubic (abbreviated cP and alternatively called simple cubic)
- Body-centered cubic (abbreviated cI or bcc)
- Face-centered cubic (abbreviated cF or fcc)
Note: the term fcc is often used in synonym for the cubic close-packed or ccp structure occurring in metals. However, fcc stands for a face-centered cubic Bravais lattice, which is not necessarily close-packed when a motif is set onto the lattice points. E.g. the diamond and the zincblende lattices are fcc but not close-packed.
Each is subdivided into other variants listed below. Although the unit cells in these crystals are conventionally taken to be cubes, the primitive unit cells often are not. (Full article...)
Image 6
Zeolite exhibited in the Estonian Museum of Natural History

Zeolites are a group of several microporous, crystalline aluminosilicate minerals commonly used as commercial adsorbents and catalysts. They mainly consist of silicon, aluminium, oxygen, and have the general formula Mⁿ⁺
_1/n(AlO
₂)⁻
(SiO
₂)
_x･yH
₂O where Mⁿ⁺
_1/n is either a metal ion or H⁺.

The term was originally coined in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, who observed that rapidly heating a material, believed to have been stilbite, produced large amounts of steam from water that had been adsorbed by the material. Based on this, he called the material zeolite, from the Greek ζέω (zéō), meaning "to boil" and λίθος (líthos), meaning "stone".

Zeolites occur naturally, but are also produced industrially on a large scale. As of December 2018^[update], 253 unique zeolite frameworks have been identified, and over 40 naturally occurring zeolite frameworks are known. Every new zeolite structure that is obtained is examined by the International Zeolite Association Structure Commission (IZA-SC) and receives a three-letter designation. (Full article...)
$Image 7 A crystalline solid: atomic resolution image of strontium titanate. Brighter spots are columns of strontium atoms and darker ones are titanium-oxygen columns. Crystallography is the branch of science devoted to the study of molecular and crystalline structure and properties. The word crystallography is derived from the Ancient Greek word κρύσταλλος (krústallos; "clear ice, rock-crystal"), and γράφειν (gráphein; "to write"). In July 2012, the United Nations recognised the importance of the science of crystallography by proclaiming 2014 the International Year of Crystallography. Crystallography is a broad topic, and many of its subareas, such as X-ray crystallography, are themselves important scientific topics. Crystallography ranges from the fundamentals of crystal structure to the mathematics of crystal geometry, including those that are not periodic or quasicrystals. At the atomic scale it can involve the use of X-ray diffraction to produce experimental data that the tools of X-ray crystallography can convert into detailed positions of atoms, and sometimes electron density. At larger scales it includes experimental tools such as orientational imaging to examine the relative orientations at the grain boundary in materials. Crystallography plays a key role in many areas of biology, chemistry, and physics, as well new developments in these fields. (Full article...)$

Image 7
A crystalline solid: atomic resolution image of strontium titanate. Brighter spots are columns of strontium atoms and darker ones are titanium-oxygen columns.

Crystallography is the branch of science devoted to the study of molecular and crystalline structure and properties. The word crystallography is derived from the Ancient Greek word κρύσταλλος (krústallos; "clear ice, rock-crystal"), and γράφειν (gráphein; "to write"). In July 2012, the United Nations recognised the importance of the science of crystallography by proclaiming 2014 the International Year of Crystallography.

Crystallography is a broad topic, and many of its subareas, such as X-ray crystallography, are themselves important scientific topics. Crystallography ranges from the fundamentals of crystal structure to the mathematics of crystal geometry, including those that are not periodic or quasicrystals. At the atomic scale it can involve the use of X-ray diffraction to produce experimental data that the tools of X-ray crystallography can convert into detailed positions of atoms, and sometimes electron density. At larger scales it includes experimental tools such as orientational imaging to examine the relative orientations at the grain boundary in materials. Crystallography plays a key role in many areas of biology, chemistry, and physics, as well new developments in these fields. (Full article...)
$Image 8 Cinnabar, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Germany Cinnabar (/ˈsɪnəˌbɑːr/; from Ancient Greek κιννάβαρι (kinnábari)), or cinnabarite (/ˌsɪnəˈbɑːraɪt/), also known as mercurblende, is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury and is the historic source for the brilliant red or scarlet pigment termed vermilion and associated red mercury pigments. Cinnabar generally occurs as a vein-filling mineral associated with volcanic activity and alkaline hot springs. The mineral resembles quartz in symmetry and it exhibits birefringence. Cinnabar has a mean refractive index near 3.2, a hardness between 2.0 and 2.5, and a specific gravity of approximately 8.1. The color and properties derive from a structure that is a hexagonal crystalline lattice belonging to the trigonal crystal system, crystals that sometimes exhibit twinning. Cinnabar has been used for its color since antiquity in the Near East, including as a rouge-type cosmetic, in the New World since the Olmec culture, and in China since as early as the Yangshao culture, where it was used in coloring stoneware. In Roman times, cinnabar was highly valued as paint for walls, especially interiors, since it darkened when used outdoors due to exposure to sunlight. Associated modern precautions for the use and handling of cinnabar arise from the toxicity of the mercury component, which was recognized as early as ancient Rome. (Full article...)$

Image 8

Cinnabar, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Germany

Cinnabar (/ˈsɪnəˌbɑːr/; from Ancient Greek κιννάβαρι (kinnábari)), or cinnabarite (/ˌsɪnəˈbɑːraɪt/), also known as mercurblende, is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury and is the historic source for the brilliant red or scarlet pigment termed vermilion and associated red mercury pigments.

Cinnabar generally occurs as a vein-filling mineral associated with volcanic activity and alkaline hot springs. The mineral resembles quartz in symmetry and it exhibits birefringence. Cinnabar has a mean refractive index near 3.2, a hardness between 2.0 and 2.5, and a specific gravity of approximately 8.1. The color and properties derive from a structure that is a hexagonal crystalline lattice belonging to the trigonal crystal system, crystals that sometimes exhibit twinning.

Cinnabar has been used for its color since antiquity in the Near East, including as a rouge-type cosmetic, in the New World since the Olmec culture, and in China since as early as the Yangshao culture, where it was used in coloring stoneware. In Roman times, cinnabar was highly valued as paint for walls, especially interiors, since it darkened when used outdoors due to exposure to sunlight.

Associated modern precautions for the use and handling of cinnabar arise from the toxicity of the mercury component, which was recognized as early as ancient Rome. (Full article...)
Image 9

Fibrous tremolite asbestos on muscovite

Asbestos (/æsˈbɛstəs, æz-, -tɒs/ ass-BES-təs, az-, -⁠toss) is a group of naturally occurring, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre (particulate with length substantially greater than width) being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere by abrasion and other processes. Inhalation of asbestos fibres can lead to various dangerous lung conditions, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. As a result of these health effects, asbestos is considered a serious health and safety hazard.

Archaeological studies have found evidence of asbestos being used as far back as the Stone Age to strengthen ceramic pots, but large-scale mining began at the end of the 19th century when manufacturers and builders began using asbestos for its desirable physical properties. Asbestos is an excellent thermal and electrical insulator, and is highly fire-resistant, so for much of the 20th century, it was very commonly used around the world as a building material (particularly for its fire-retardant properties), until its adverse effects on human health were more widely recognized and acknowledged in the 1970s. Many buildings constructed before the 1980s contain asbestos.

The use of asbestos for construction and fireproofing has been made illegal in many countries. Despite this, around 255,000 people are thought to die each year from diseases related to asbestos exposure. In part, this is because many older buildings still contain asbestos; in addition, the consequences of exposure can take decades to arise. The latency period (from exposure until the diagnosis of negative health effects) is typically 20 years. The most common diseases associated with chronic asbestos exposure are asbestosis (scarring of the lungs due to asbestos inhalation) and mesothelioma (a type of cancer).

Many developing countries still support the use of asbestos as a building material, and mining of asbestos is ongoing, with the top producer, Russia, having an estimated production of 790,000 tonnes in 2020. (Full article...)
Image 10

A ruby crystal from Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires; given that the rest of the corundum species are called as such, rubies are sometimes referred to as "red sapphires".

Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, alongside amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the presence of chromium.

Some gemstones that are popularly or historically called rubies, such as the Black Prince's Ruby in the British Imperial State Crown, are actually spinels. These were once known as "Balas rubies".

The quality of a ruby is determined by its color, cut, and clarity, which, along with carat weight, affect its value. The brightest and most valuable shade of red, called blood-red or pigeon blood, commands a large premium over other rubies of similar quality. After color comes clarity: similar to diamonds, a clear stone will command a premium, but a ruby without any needle-like rutile inclusions may indicate that the stone has been treated. Ruby is the traditional birthstone for July and is usually pinker than garnet, although some rhodolite garnets have a similar pinkish hue to most rubies. The world's most valuable ruby to be sold at auction is the Estrela de Fura, which sold for US$34.8 million. (Full article...)
Image 11

Tourmaline (/ˈtʊərməlɪn, -ˌliːn/ TOOR-mə-lin, -⁠leen) is a crystalline silicate mineral group in which boron is compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. This gemstone comes in a wide variety of colors.

The name is derived from the Sinhalese tōramalli (ටෝරමල්ලි), which refers to the carnelian gemstones. (Full article...)
Image 12

Halite from the Wieliczka salt mine, Małopolskie, Poland

Halite (/ˈhælaɪt, ˈheɪlaɪt/ HAL-yte, HAY-lyte), commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral (natural) form of sodium chloride (Na Cl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on inclusion of other materials, impurities, and structural or isotopic abnormalities in the crystals. It commonly occurs with other evaporite deposit minerals such as several of the sulfates, halides, and borates. The name halite is derived from the Ancient Greek word for "salt", ἅλς (háls). (Full article...)
$Image 13 A rough diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insoluble in water. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, but diamond is metastable and converts to it at a negligible rate under those conditions. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. Because the arrangement of atoms in diamond is extremely rigid, few types of impurity can contaminate it (two exceptions are boron and nitrogen). Small numbers of defects or impurities (about one per million of lattice atoms) can color a diamond blue (boron), yellow (nitrogen), brown (defects), green (radiation exposure), purple, pink, orange, or red. Diamond also has a very high refractive index and a relatively high optical dispersion. Most natural diamonds have ages between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years. Most were formed at depths between 150 and 250 kilometres (93 and 155 mi) in the Earth's mantle, although a few have come from as deep as 800 kilometres (500 mi). Under high pressure and temperature, carbon-containing fluids dissolved various minerals and replaced them with diamonds. Much more recently (hundreds to tens of million years ago), they were carried to the surface in volcanic eruptions and deposited in igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites. Synthetic diamonds can be grown from high-purity carbon under high pressures and temperatures or from hydrocarbon gases by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Natural and synthetic diamonds are most commonly distinguished using optical techniques or thermal conductivity measurements. (Full article...)$

Image 13

A rough diamond

Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insoluble in water. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, but diamond is metastable and converts to it at a negligible rate under those conditions. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools.

Because the arrangement of atoms in diamond is extremely rigid, few types of impurity can contaminate it (two exceptions are boron and nitrogen). Small numbers of defects or impurities (about one per million of lattice atoms) can color a diamond blue (boron), yellow (nitrogen), brown (defects), green (radiation exposure), purple, pink, orange, or red. Diamond also has a very high refractive index and a relatively high optical dispersion.

Most natural diamonds have ages between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years. Most were formed at depths between 150 and 250 kilometres (93 and 155 mi) in the Earth's mantle, although a few have come from as deep as 800 kilometres (500 mi). Under high pressure and temperature, carbon-containing fluids dissolved various minerals and replaced them with diamonds. Much more recently (hundreds to tens of million years ago), they were carried to the surface in volcanic eruptions and deposited in igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites.

Synthetic diamonds can be grown from high-purity carbon under high pressures and temperatures or from hydrocarbon gases by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Natural and synthetic diamonds are most commonly distinguished using optical techniques or thermal conductivity measurements. (Full article...)
Image 14

Micas (/ˈmaɪkəz/ MY-kəz) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is common in igneous and metamorphic rock and is occasionally found as small flakes in sedimentary rock. It is particularly prominent in many granites, pegmatites, and schists, and "books" (large individual crystals) of mica several feet across have been found in some pegmatites.

Micas are used in products such as drywalls, paints, and fillers, especially in parts for automobiles, roofing, and in electronics. The mineral is used in cosmetics and food to add "shimmer" or "frost". (Full article...)
Image 15

Galena with minor pyrite

Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver.

Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms. It is often associated with the minerals sphalerite, calcite and fluorite.

As a pure specimen held in the hand, under standard temperature and pressure, galena is insoluble in water and so is almost non-toxic. Handling galena under these specific conditions (such as in a museum or as part of geology instruction) poses practically no risk; however, as lead(II) sulfide is reasonably reactive in a variety of environments, it can be highly toxic if swallowed or inhaled, particularly under prolonged or repeated exposure. (Full article...)
Image 16

Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula Cu Al₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone for millennia due to its hue.

The robin egg blue or sky blue color of the Persian turquoise mined near the modern city of Nishapur, Iran, has been used as a guiding reference for evaluating turquoise quality.

Like most other opaque gems, turquoise has been devalued by the introduction of treatments, imitations, and synthetics into the market. (Full article...)
Image 17

Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium, and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the presence of transition metal impurities in its crystalline structure. Corundum has two primary gem varieties: ruby and sapphire. Rubies are red due to the presence of chromium, and sapphires exhibit a range of colors depending on what transition metal is present. A rare type of sapphire, padparadscha sapphire, is pink-orange.

The name "corundum" is derived from the Tamil-Dravidian word kurundam (ruby-sapphire) (appearing in Sanskrit as kuruvinda).

Because of corundum's hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 on the Mohs scale), it can scratch almost all other minerals. Emery, a variety of corundum with no value as a gemstone, is commonly used as an abrasive on sandpaper and on large tools used in machining metals, plastics, and wood. It is a black granular form of corundum, in which the mineral is intimately mixed with magnetite, hematite, or hercynite.

In addition to its hardness, corundum has a density of 4.02 g/cm³ (251 lb/cu ft), which is unusually high for a transparent mineral composed of the low-atomic mass elements aluminium and oxygen. (Full article...)
$Image 18 Malachite from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Malachite (/ˈmæl.əˌkaɪt/) is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fractures and deep, underground spaces, where the water table and hydrothermal fluids provide the means for chemical precipitation. Individual crystals are rare, but occur as slender to acicular prisms. Pseudomorphs after more tabular or blocky azurite crystals also occur. (Full article...)$

Image 18

Malachite from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Malachite (/ˈmæl.əˌkaɪt/) is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the formula Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fractures and deep, underground spaces, where the water table and hydrothermal fluids provide the means for chemical precipitation. Individual crystals are rare, but occur as slender to acicular prisms. Pseudomorphs after more tabular or blocky azurite crystals also occur. (Full article...)
Image 19

A lustrous crystal of zircon perched on a tan matrix of calcite from the Gilgit District of Pakistan

Zircon (/ˈzɜːrkɒn, -kən/) is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO₄. An empirical formula showing some of the range of substitution in zircon is (Zr_1–y, REE_y)(SiO₄)_1–x(OH)_4x–y. Zircon precipitates from silicate melts and has relatively high concentrations of high field strength incompatible elements. For example, hafnium is almost always present in quantities ranging from 1 to 4%. The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal system. The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, blue, and green.

The name derives from the Persian zargun, meaning "gold-hued". This word is changed into "jargoon", a term applied to light-colored zircons. The English word "zircon" is derived from Zirkon, which is the German adaptation of this word. Yellow, orange, and red zircon is also known as "hyacinth", from the flower hyacinthus, whose name is of Ancient Greek origin. (Full article...)
$Image 20 Quartz crystal cluster from Brazil Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO2. Quartz is, therefore, classified structurally as a framework silicate mineral and compositionally as an oxide mineral. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust, behind feldspar. Quartz exists in two forms, the normal α-quartz and the high-temperature β-quartz, both of which are chiral. The transformation from α-quartz to β-quartz takes place abruptly at 573 °C (846 K; 1,063 °F). Since the transformation is accompanied by a significant change in volume, it can easily induce microfracturing of ceramics or rocks passing through this temperature threshold. There are many different varieties of quartz, several of which are classified as gemstones. Since antiquity, varieties of quartz have been the most commonly used minerals in the making of jewelry and hardstone carvings, especially in Europe and Asia. Quartz is the mineral defining the value of 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, a qualitative scratch method for determining the hardness of a material to abrasion. (Full article...)$

Image 20

Quartz crystal cluster from Brazil

Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO₄ silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO₂. Quartz is, therefore, classified structurally as a framework silicate mineral and compositionally as an oxide mineral. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust, behind feldspar.

Quartz exists in two forms, the normal α-quartz and the high-temperature β-quartz, both of which are chiral. The transformation from α-quartz to β-quartz takes place abruptly at 573 °C (846 K; 1,063 °F). Since the transformation is accompanied by a significant change in volume, it can easily induce microfracturing of ceramics or rocks passing through this temperature threshold.

There are many different varieties of quartz, several of which are classified as gemstones. Since antiquity, varieties of quartz have been the most commonly used minerals in the making of jewelry and hardstone carvings, especially in Europe and Asia.

Quartz is the mineral defining the value of 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, a qualitative scratch method for determining the hardness of a material to abrasion. (Full article...)
Image 21

Hematite crystals from Brazil

Hematite (/ˈhiːməˌtaɪt, ˈhɛmə-/), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe₂O₃ and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of Fe
₂O
₃. It has the same crystal structure as corundum (Al
₂O
₃) and ilmenite (FeTiO
₃). With this crystal structure geometry it forms a complete solid solution at temperatures above 950 °C (1,740 °F).

Hematite occurs naturally in black to steel or silver-gray, brown to reddish-brown, or red colors. It is mined as an important ore mineral of iron. It is electrically conductive. Hematite varieties include kidney ore, martite (pseudomorphs after magnetite), iron rose and specularite (specular hematite). While these forms vary, they all have a rust-red streak. Hematite is not only harder than pure iron, but also much more brittle. The term kidney ore may be broadly used to describe botryoidal, mammillary, or reniform hematite. Maghemite is a polymorph of hematite (γ-Fe
₂O
₃) with the same chemical formula, but with a spinel structure like magnetite.

Large deposits of hematite are found in banded iron formations. Gray hematite is typically found in places that have still, standing water, or mineral hot springs, such as those in Yellowstone National Park in North America. The mineral may precipitate in the water and collect in layers at the bottom of the lake, spring, or other standing water. Hematite can also occur in the absence of water, usually as the result of volcanic activity.

Clay-sized hematite crystals also may occur as a secondary mineral formed by weathering processes in soil, and along with other iron oxides or oxyhydroxides such as goethite, which is responsible for the red color of many tropical, ancient, or otherwise highly weathered soils. (Full article...)
$Image 22 Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite. Rutile has one of the highest refractive indices at visible wavelengths of any known crystal and also exhibits a particularly large birefringence and high dispersion. Owing to these properties, it is useful for the manufacture of certain optical elements, especially polarization optics, for longer visible and infrared wavelengths up to about 4.5 micrometres. Natural rutile may contain up to 10% iron and significant amounts of niobium and tantalum. Rutile derives its name from the Latin rutilus ('red'), in reference to the deep red color observed in some specimens when viewed by transmitted light. Rutile was first described in 1803 by Abraham Gottlob Werner using specimens obtained in Horcajuelo de la Sierra, Madrid (Spain), which is consequently the type locality. (Full article...)$

Image 22

Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO₂), the most common natural form of TiO₂. Rarer polymorphs of TiO₂ are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite.

Rutile has one of the highest refractive indices at visible wavelengths of any known crystal and also exhibits a particularly large birefringence and high dispersion. Owing to these properties, it is useful for the manufacture of certain optical elements, especially polarization optics, for longer visible and infrared wavelengths up to about 4.5 micrometres. Natural rutile may contain up to 10% iron and significant amounts of niobium and tantalum.

Rutile derives its name from the Latin rutilus ('red'), in reference to the deep red color observed in some specimens when viewed by transmitted light. Rutile was first described in 1803 by Abraham Gottlob Werner using specimens obtained in Horcajuelo de la Sierra, Madrid (Spain), which is consequently the type locality. (Full article...)
Image 23

Dolomite (white) on talc

Dolomite (/ˈdɒl.əˌmaɪt, ˈdoʊ.lə-/) is an anhydrous carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate, ideally CaMg(CO₃)₂. The term is also used for a sedimentary carbonate rock composed mostly of the mineral dolomite (see Dolomite (rock)). An alternative name sometimes used for the dolomitic rock type is dolostone. (Full article...)
Image 24
The diamond crystal structure belongs to the face-centered cubic lattice, with a repeated two-atom pattern.

In crystallography, a crystal system is a set of point groups (a group of geometric symmetries with at least one fixed point). A lattice system is a set of Bravais lattices (an infinite array of discrete points). Space groups (symmetry groups of a configuration in space) are classified into crystal systems according to their point groups, and into lattice systems according to their Bravais lattices. Crystal systems that have space groups assigned to a common lattice system are combined into a crystal family.

The seven crystal systems are triclinic, monoclinic, orthorhombic, tetragonal, trigonal, hexagonal, and cubic. Informally, two crystals are in the same crystal system if they have similar symmetries (though there are many exceptions). (Full article...)
Image 25

A sample of andesite (dark groundmass) with amygdaloidal vesicles filled with zeolite. Diameter of view is 8 cm.

Andesite (/ˈændəzaɪt/) is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predominantly of sodium-rich plagioclase plus pyroxene or hornblende.

Andesite is the extrusive equivalent of plutonic diorite. Characteristic of subduction zones, andesite represents the dominant rock type in island arcs. The average composition of the continental crust is andesitic. Along with basalts, andesites are a component of the Martian crust.

The name andesite is derived from the Andes mountain range, where this rock type is found in abundance. It was first applied by Christian Leopold von Buch in 1826. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected mineralogist

Image 1
Adolf Knop (12 January 1828, in Altenau – 27 December 1893, in Karlsruhe) was a German geologist and mineralogist.

He studied mathematics and sciences at the University of Göttingen, where he was a pupil of chemist Friedrich Wöhler and mineralogist Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann. From 1849 he taught classes at the vocational school in Chemnitz. In 1857 he became an associate professor of geology and mineralogy at the University of Giessen, where in 1863 he attained a full professorship. In 1866 he relocated to Karlsruhe as a professor at the Polytechnic school. In 1878 he succeeded Moritz August Seubert as manager of the Grand Ducal Natural History Cabinet. (Full article...)
Image 2

Karl Friedrich August Rammelsberg (1 April 1813 – 28 December 1899) was a German mineralogist from Berlin, Prussia. (Full article...)
Image 3
Ernest (Ernie) Henry Nickel (born Ernst Heinrich Nickel on 31 August 1925 in Louth, Ontario, died on 18 July 2009) was a mineralogist from Canada who emigrated to Australia. He is best known as an editor of the ninth edition of the Nickel-Strunz classification together with Karl Hugo Strunz. (Full article...)
Image 4
Weiss (circa 1884)

Christian Ernst Weiss (12 May 1833, in Eilenburg – 4 July 1890, in Schkeuditz) was a German mineralogist, geologist and palaeontologist.
He is not to be confused with the historian Christian Ernst Weiße (1766–1832). (Full article...)
Image 5
Clifford Howard Stockwell (September 26, 1897 – April 26, 1987) was a Canadian geologist, who published many scientific papers, reports and memoirs in the fields of Mineralogy, Structural Geology, Petrology, and Stratigraphy. He earned his PhD in geology at McGill University in Montreal in 1926. (Full article...)
Image 6

Pauling in the 1940s

Linus Carl Pauling (/ˈpɔːlɪŋ/ PAW-ling; February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994) was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. New Scientist called him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time. For his scientific work, Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. For his peace activism, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. He is one of five people to have won more than one Nobel Prize. Of these, he is the only person to have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes, and one of two people to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields, the other being Marie Curie.

Pauling was one of the founders of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. His contributions to the theory of the chemical bond include the concept of orbital hybridisation and the first accurate scale of electronegativities of the elements. Pauling also worked on the structures of biological molecules, and showed the importance of the alpha helix and beta sheet in protein secondary structure. Pauling's approach combined methods and results from X-ray crystallography, molecular model building, and quantum chemistry. His discoveries inspired the work of Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins on the structure of DNA, which in turn made it possible for geneticists to crack the DNA code of all organisms. (Full article...)
Image 7
The Hope Diamond, which Switzer helped to acquire for the Smithsonian from Harry Winston in 1958

George Shirley Switzer (June 11, 1915 – March 23, 2008) was an American mineralogist who is credited with starting the Smithsonian Institution's famed National Gem and Mineral Collection by acquiring the Hope Diamond for the museum in 1958. Switzer made the arrangements when renowned New York City jeweler Harry Winston decided to donate the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian.

Switzer was also known for his analysis of Moon rocks which were brought back by NASA missions to the Moon. (Full article...)
Image 8
Werner Schreyer (14 November 1930 in Nuremberg; 12 February 2006 in Bochum) was a German mineralogist and experimental metamorphic petrologist. Schreyer completed his undergraduate work in geology and petrology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, obtained his doctorate from the University of Munich in 1957, and in 1966 received his Habilitation from the University of Kiel. He was a professor at Ruhr University Bochum from 1966 to 1996. In 2002 Schreyer became the first German to be awarded the Mineralogical Society of America's highest honor, the Roebling Medal. Schreyer was a leading expert on phase relations in the MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (MASH) system, specializing in cordierite and minerals with equivalent chemical compositions, and high pressure and ultra high-pressure metamorphic mineral assemblages.

The mineral Schreyerite (V2Ti3O9) was named after Schreyer. (Full article...)
Image 9

Abraham Gottlob Werner (German: [ˈaːbʁaham ˈɡɔtloːp ˈvɛʁnɐ]; 25 September 1749 – 30 June 1817) was a German geologist who set out an early theory about the stratification of the Earth's crust and propounded a history of the Earth that came to be known as Neptunism. While most tenets of Neptunism were eventually set aside, Werner is remembered for his demonstration of chronological succession in rocks; for the zeal with which he infused his pupils; and for the impulse he thereby gave to the study of geology. He has been called the "father of German geology". (Full article...)
$Image 10 Gregori Aminoff (8 February 1883 – 11 February 1947) was a Swedish mineralogist, artist, and a member of the Aminoff family. During his career, Aminoff introduced X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction to the Swedish scientific community and was a pioneer in crystallography in Sweden. (Full article...)$

Image 10

Gregori Aminoff (8 February 1883 – 11 February 1947) was a Swedish mineralogist, artist, and a member of the Aminoff family. During his career, Aminoff introduced X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction to the Swedish scientific community and was a pioneer in crystallography in Sweden. (Full article...)
Image 11
Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann

Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann (22 February 1782 – 26 December 1859) was a German mineralogist. (Full article...)
Image 12
Enrico Clerici (15 October 1862 – 26 August 1938) was an Italian mineralogist and geologist. From 1903 on he worked at the University of Rome. He published in 1907 the composition of a solution with a density of 4.25 g/cm³ at 20 °C, to determine the density of minerals. The Clerici solution is a mixture of thallium formate (Tl(CHO₂)) and thallium malonate (Tl(C₃H₃O₄)) in water. (Full article...)
Image 13

Tellef Dahll (10 April 1825, in Kragerø – 17 June 1893, in Morgedal) was a Norwegian mineralogist and geologist. (Full article...)
Image 14
Bertram Eugene Warren (June 28, 1902 – June 27, 1991) was an American crystallographer. His studies of X-rays provided much knowledge and understanding of both crystalline and non-crystalline materials. He also worked on changing amorphous solids to a crystalline state. (Full article...)
Image 15

Gold and Diamonds - from John Mawe's 1812 book Travels in the Interior of Brazil
illustrated by James Sowerby

John Mawe (1764 – 26 October 1829) was a British mineralogist who became known for his practical approach to the discipline. (Full article...)
Image 16
Kurt von Gehlen (9 February 1927 in Kiel/Germany – 17 May 1995 in Königstein im Taunus) was a German mineralogist and professor. (Full article...)
Image 17

Kurnakov in 1913

Nikolai Semyonovich Kurnakov (Russian: Николай Семёнович Курнаков; 6 December [O.S. 24 November] 1860 – 19 March 1941) was a Russian chemist, who is internationally recognized as the originator of physicochemical analysis. He also was one of the principal founders of the platinum industry in the Soviet Union. A chemical reaction that he pioneered, known as the Kurnakov test, is still used to differentiate cis from trans isomers of divalent platinum and is his best-known contribution to coordination chemistry. (Full article...)
Image 18

Portrait of Marshall McDonald

Marshall McDonald (October 18, 1835 – September 1, 1895) was an American engineer, geologist, mineralogist, pisciculturist, and fisheries scientist. McDonald served as the commissioner of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries from 1888 until his death in 1895. He is best known for his inventions of a number of fish hatching apparatuses and a fish ladder that enabled salmon and other migrating fish species to ascend the rapids of watercourses resulting in an increased spawning ground. McDonald's administration of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries was notably free of scandal and furthered the "protection and culture" of fish species throughout the United States.

Born in 1835 in Romney, Virginia (present-day West Virginia), McDonald was the son of Angus William McDonald, a military officer and lawyer, and his wife, Leacy Anne Naylor. From 1854 to 1855, McDonald studied natural history under Spencer Fullerton Baird at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He then attended the University of Virginia and Virginia Military Institute, from which he graduated in 1860. McDonald served as an assistant professor of chemistry at the institute under Stonewall Jackson and continued to teach intermittently throughout the American Civil War. (Full article...)
Image 19

Dana in 1865

James Dwight Dana FRS FRSE (February 12, 1813 – April 14, 1895) was an American geologist, mineralogist, volcanologist, and zoologist. He made pioneering studies of mountain-building, volcanic activity, and the origin and structure of continents and oceans around the world.

His zoological author abbreviation is Dana. (Full article...)
Image 20

Portrait by Ulrika Pasch

Torbern Olof Bergman (KVO) (20 March 1735 – 8 July 1784) was a Swedish chemist and mineralogist noted for his 1775 Dissertation on Elective Attractions, containing the largest chemical affinity tables ever published. Bergman was the first chemist to use the A, B, C, etc., system of notation for chemical species. (Full article...)
Image 21
Hanns Bruno Geinitz

Hanns Bruno Geinitz (16 October 1814 – 28 January 1900) was a German geologist, born at Altenburg, the capital of Saxe-Altenburg. (Full article...)
Image 22
Pierre Bernard Palassou (9 June 1745, Oloron-Sainte-Marie – 9 April 1830, Ogenne-Camptort) was a French naturalist known for pioneer geological and mineralogical studies of the Pyrénées.

He was a correspondent member of the Académie des sciences (1816–1830) and an honorary member of the Société linnéenne de Paris (1821). His name is associated with the "Poudingues de Palassou", which are enormous beds of conglomerate rock found in the Pyrénées. In 1784 he described Quercus palensis (Pyrenean oak) of the botanical family Fagaceae, (synonym Quercus pyrenaica Willd.). (Full article...)
Image 23
Johann Heinrich Kopp

Johann Heinrich Kopp (17 September 1777, in Hanau – 28 November 1858, in Hanau) was a German physician and natural scientist. He was the father of chemist Hermann Franz Moritz Kopp (1817–1892).

He studied medicine at the universities of Rinteln, Marburg and Jena, obtaining his habilitation in 1801. He briefly worked as a doctor in Rödelheim, then settled as a physician in his hometown of Hanau. From 1807 he served as a professor of chemistry, physics and natural history at the lyceum in Hanau. In 1813 he was appointed a medical officer and in 1815 attained the title of Hofrat (councilor). Later on, he became a personal physician to the Elector of Hesse. In 1808 he was a founding member of the Wetterauische Gesellschaft, serving as its director in 1826/28. (Full article...)
Image 24
Douglas Saxon Coombs (23 November 1924 – 23 December 2016) was a New Zealand mineralogist and petrologist. (Full article...)
Image 25
Hilary Bauerman (16 March 1835 – 5 December 1909) was an English metallurgist, mineralogist and geologist. (Full article...)

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... that nine days after his heart transplant, J. C. Walter Jr. merged his company Houston Oil & Minerals with Tenneco, then retired to his ranch and shortly after founded Walter Oil & Gas?

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General images

The following are images from various mineral-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Muscovite, a mineral species in the mica group, within the phyllosilicate subclass (from Mineral)
Image 2Sphalerite crystal partially encased in calcite from the Devonian Milwaukee Formation of Wisconsin (from Mineral)
Image 3Natrolite is a mineral series in the zeolite group; this sample has a very prominent acicular crystal habit. (from Mineral)
Image 4An example of elbaite, a species of tourmaline, with distinctive colour banding. (from Mineral)
Image 5Mohs hardness kit, containing one specimen of each mineral on the ten-point hardness scale (from Mohs scale)
Image 6Contact twins, as seen in spinel (from Mineral)
Image 7Gypsum desert rose (from Mineral)
Image 8Black andradite, an end-member of the orthosilicate garnet group. (from Mineral)
Image 9Epidote often has a distinctive pistachio-green colour. (from Mineral)
Image 10Aegirine, an iron-sodium clinopyroxene, is part of the inosilicate subclass. (from Mineral)
Image 11Schist is a metamorphic rock characterized by an abundance of platy minerals. In this example, the rock has prominent sillimanite porphyroblasts as large as 3 cm (1.2 in). (from Mineral)
Image 12Pyrite has a metallic lustre. (from Mineral)
Image 13Pyrite (from Lustre (mineralogy))
Image 14Asbestiform tremolite, part of the amphibole group in the inosilicate subclass (from Mineral)
Image 15Red cinnabar (HgS), a mercury ore, on dolomite. (from Mineral)
Image 16Perfect basal cleavage as seen in biotite (black), and good cleavage seen in the matrix (pink orthoclase). (from Mineral)
Image 17Galena, PbS, is a mineral with a high specific gravity. (from Mineral)
Image 18Carnotite (yellow) is a radioactive uranium-bearing mineral. (from Mineral)
Image 19Hübnerite, the manganese-rich end-member of the wolframite series, with minor quartz in the background (from Mineral)
Image 20Mohs Scale versus Absolute Hardness (from Mineral)
Image 21Crystals of serandite, natrolite, analcime, and aegirine from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada (from Mineral)
Image 22Native gold. Rare specimen of stout crystals growing off of a central stalk, size 3.7 x 1.1 x 0.4 cm, from Venezuela. (from Mineral)
Image 23Pink cubic halite (NaCl; halide class) crystals on a nahcolite matrix (NaHCO₃; a carbonate, and mineral form of sodium bicarbonate, used as baking soda). (from Mineral)
Image 24Topaz has a characteristic orthorhombic elongated crystal shape. (from Mineral)
Image 25When minerals react, the products will sometimes assume the shape of the reagent; the product mineral is termed a pseudomorph of (or after) the reagent. Illustrated here is a pseudomorph of kaolinite after orthoclase. Here, the pseudomorph preserved the Carlsbad twinning common in orthoclase. (from Mineral)
Image 26Diamond is the hardest natural material, and has a Mohs hardness of 10. (from Mineral)

Did you know ...?

Leonite perched on a matrix of halite

... that leonite (pictured) has been found on Mars?
...that crystals of Paulingite, a rare zeolite mineral found in vesicles in the basaltic rocks from the Columbia River, form a perfect clear rhombic dodecahedron?
... that abernathyite is both fluorescent and radioactive and is named for the mine operator who discovered it?

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v t e Minerals
Overview	Mineral Mineralogy History of mineralogy
Common minerals	Amphibole Bridgmanite K-feldspar Mica Olivine Plagioclase Pyroxene Quartz Spinel

v t e Phosphate minerals
Crystalline	Allanpringite Beraunite Brazilianite Eosphorite Fluorapatite Hydroxyapatite Lithiophilite Metatorbernite Monazite Struvite Taranakite Variscite Wavellite Xenotime
Cryptocrystalline	Turquoise Whitlockite
Amorphous	Santabarbaraite Scorodite

v t e Phyllosilicates
Micas	Aluminoceladonite Anandite Annite Aspidolite Balestraite Bityite Biotite Boromuscovite Bramallite Celadonite Chernykhite Chromphyllite Clintonite Eastonite Ephesite Ferroaluminoceladonite Ferroceladonite Fluorannite Fluorokinoshitalite Fluorophlogopite Fluorotetraferriphlogopite Garmite Glauconite Gorbunovite Hendricksite Illite Kinoshitalite Lepidolite Luanshiweiite Manganiceladonite Margarite Masutomilite Montdorite Muscovite Nanpingite Norrishite Orlovite Oxyphlogopite Paragonite Phlogopite Polylithionite Preiswerkite Roscoelite Siderophyllite Suhailite Tainiolite Tetraferriannite Trilithionite Voloshinite Wonesite Yangzhumingite
Talcs	Minnesotaite Talc Willemseite
Pyrophyllite series	Ferripyrophyllite Pyrophyllite
Kaolinites	Bismutoferrite Dickite Halloysite Hisingerite Kaolinite Nacrite
Serpentines	Amesite Antigorite Berthierine Brindleyite Caryopilite Chrysotile Cronstedtite Fraipontite Greenalite Guidottiite Kellyite Lizardite Manandonite Népouite Odinite Pecoraite
Corrensites	Aliettite Brinrobertsite Corrensite Dozyite Hydrobiotite Karpinskite Kulkeite Lunijianlaite Rectorite Saliotite Tosudite
Smectites and vermiculite family	Beidellite Ferrosaponite Montmorillonite Nontronite Saponite Sauconite Swinefordite Vermiculite Volkonskoite Yakhontovite
Chlorites	Baileychlore Borocookeite Chamosite Clinochlore Cookeite Donbassite Gonyerite Nimite Pennantite Sudoite
Allophanes	Allophane Chrysocolla Imogolite Neotocite
Sepiolites	Falcondoite Ferrisepiolite Sepiolite
Pyrosmalites	Friedelite Mcgillite Nelenite Pyrosmalite Schallerite
Stilpnomelanes	Bannisterite Franklinphilite Lennilenapeite Parsettensite Stilpnomelane
Structural groups mainly; based on rruff.info/ima, modified

v t e IMA–CNMNC / Nickel–Strunz IDs Mineral categories (classes, subclasses, divisions)
"Special cases" ("native elements and organic minerals")	"Native elements" (IDs 1) Organic minerals (IDs 10)
"Sulfides and oxides"	Sulfides (IDs 2.A–F) Sulfosalts; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites (IDs 2.G) Sulfosalts; sulfarsenates, sulfantimonates (IDs 2.K) Other sulfosalts (IDs 2.H–J and 2.L–M) Oxides (IDs 4.A–E, e.g. pyrochlore supergroup and corundum group) Hydroxides (IDs 4.F–G) Arsenates(IV), sulfates(IV) and iodates (IDs 4.J–K) Tellurium oxysalts Vanadium oxides (IDs 4.H)
"Evaporites and similars"	Carbonates (IDs 5.A–E) Nitrates (IDs 5.N) Borates (IDs 6) Halides (IDs 3)
"Mineral structures with tetrahedral units" (sulfate anion, phosphate anion, silicon, etc.)	Monomeric minerals (similar to nesosilicates) Sulfates(VI) (IDs 7.A–E) Thiosulphates (IDs 7.J) Chromates(VI) (IDs 7.F) Molybdates, wolframates, niobates(VI) (IDs 7.G–H) Phosphates(V) (IDs 8) Arsenates, vanadates(V) (IDs 8) Monomeric, isolated silicates (IDs 9.A) Germanates (IDs 9.J) Silicate frameworks, tectosilicates Zeolite frameworks, zeolite family (IDs 9.G) Other feldspathoids: nephelines (IDs 9.FA.05) Cancrinite-sodalite groups (IDs 9.FB.) Other tectosilicates (IDs 9.FA. and 9.FB.15, e.g. feldspars) Other silicate frameworks Cyclosilicates (IDs 9.C) Phyllosilicates (IDs 9.E, e.g. clays) Silica family (IDs 4.DA.) Inosilicates Single chain inosilicates (IDs 9.D, e.g. pyroxenes) Ribbon or multiple chain inosilicates (IDs 9.D, e.g. amphiboles) Other non monomeric minerals Unclassified silicates (IDs 9.H) Sorosilicates (IDs 9.B, e.g. epidote and seidozerite supergroups) Polymeric, isolated silicates (IDs 9.A, e.g. olivine and gadolinite supergroups) Other inorganic polymers (e.g. polyoxometalates; "polyphosphates", IDs 8.F)