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.

A
Azurite
Aquamarine
Almandine
Aragonite
Artenite
Anatase
Aeschynite
Arsenopyrite
Andorite
Acanthite
Awaruite
Alabandite
Adamite
Anglesite
Andradite
Anorthite
Albite
Antigorite
Actinolite
Aegirine
Augite
Amphibole
Andalusite
Actinolite
Aegirine

B
Barite
Beryl
Bensonite
Boracite
Brucite
Brookite
Birnessite
Bixbyite
Bornite
Boulangerite
Berthierite
Bournonite
Betekhtinite
Beudantite
Bayldonite
Buergerite
Benitoite
Betekhtinite
Beudantite
Bayldonite

C
Celestite
Copper
Calcite
Callaghanite
Chromite
Cassiterite
Cylindrite
Carrollite
Cubanite
Clausthalite
Chalcocite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcostibite
Cuprite
Cerussite
Charoite
Chrysotile
Chondrodite
Clintonite
Cavansite
Crocoite
Chrysotile
Chondrodite
Clintonite
Cavansite

D
Dravite
Danburite
Diamond
Dolomite
Delafossite
Dufrenoysite
Dyscrasite
Digenite
Diopside
Dioptase

E
Emerald
Elbaite
Epidote
Emplectite
Enargite
Edenite
Enstatite
Epidote
Emplectite
Enargite

F
Feldspar
Fluorite
Ferroaxinite
Fluorapatite
Forsterite
Fluorite
Ferroaxinite
Fluorapatite

G
Gypsum
Gold
Galena
Garnet
Goethite
Gersdorffite
Gratonite
Glaucodot
Germanite
Grunerite
Grossular
Glaucophane
Glaucodot
Germanite
Grunerite

H
Halite
Hematite
Hulsite
Hibonite
Hausmannite
Hutchinsonite
Hessite
Hyalophane
Hornblende
Hedenbergite

I
Ilmenite

J
Jamesonite
Jordanite
Joaquinite

K
Krennerite
Kermesite
Kyanite
Kimberlite

L
Lepidocrocite
Linnaeite
Ludlockite
Labradorite

M
Mica
Malachite
Millerite
Magnetite
Magnesite
Montroydite
Miargyrite
Mimetite
Margarite
Muscovite
Meionite
Marialite
Microcline
Margarite
Muscovite

N
Nagyagite
Neptunite

O
Olivine
Olivenite
Orthoclase
Oligoclase

P
Pyrite
Powellite
Parisite
Phosgenite
Pyroaurite
Plattnerite
Pyrochroite
Pyrolusite
Pseudobrookite
Plagionite
Pyrargyrite
Pyrrhotite
Pyroxmangite
Penninite
Pyrophyllite
Plagioclase
Pyroxene
Pyromorphite
Penninite
Pyrophyllite

Q
Quartz

R
Rutile
Rhodochrosite
Ruby
Romanechite
Ramsdellite
Reinerite
Riebeckite
Rhodonite
Romanechite
Ramsdellite

S
Stibnite
Sulfur
Silver
Sapphire
Scolecite
Smithsonite
Strontianite
Siderite
Szaibelyite
Spinel
Senarmontite
Senaite
Stephanite
Sphalerite
Semseyite
Stibarsen
Sperrylite
Safflorite
Scorodite
Spessartine
Serandite
Sulfur
Spodumene
Scapolite
Sillimanite
Staurolite
Sulfur
Spodumene
Scapolite
Sillimanite

T
Talc
Turquoise
Topaz
Tetrahedrite
Tennantite
Tremolite
Turquoise
Topaz
Tetrahedrite
Tennantite

U
Ullmannite
Uvite

V
Vanadinite
Vivianite
Valentinite
Vesuvianite
Variscite

W
Wulfenite
Weloganite
Witherite
Wurtzite
Willemite
Wollastonite
Wiluite
Witherite
Wurtzite
Willemite

Z
Zircon
Zinkenite
Zoisite
Selection of common minerals
Index

References
Lutgens & Tarbuck
Ch 2

Shipman, et al.
Ch 21
 
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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
Calcite
Azurite
Malachite
Rhodochrosite
Dolomite
Smithsonite
Strontianite
Phosgenite
Siderite
Magnesite
Weloganite
Aragonite
Pyroaurite
Bensonite
Witherite
Callaghanite
Artenite
Cerussite
Bensonite
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
Hematite
Rutile
Powellite
Wulfenite
Ruby
Sapphire
Plattnerite
Spinel
Brookite
Anatase
Pyrolusite
Ilmenite
Valentinite
Magnetite
Montroydite
Romanechite
Chromite
Aeschynite
Cassiterite
Goethite
Haussmanite
Ramsdellite
Bixbyite
Senarmontite
Senaite
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
Galena
Millerite
Pyrite
Emplectite
Stibnite
Jamesonite
Stephanite
Zinkenite
Tetrahedrite
Miargyrite
Plagionite
Sphalerite
Bornite
Enargite
Pyrargyrite
Jordanite
Semseyite
Cylindrite
Nagyagite
Boulangerite
Gersdorffite
Berthierite
Bournonite
Dufrenoysite
Tennantite
Arsenopyrite
Andorite
Betekhtinite
Carrollite
Gratonite
Acanthite
Ullmannite
Glaucodot
Wurtzite
Cubanite
Hutchinsonite
Kermesite
Glaucodot
Digenite
Pyrrhotite
Linnaeite
Chalcocite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcostibite
Alabandite
Germanite
Chalcocite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcostibite
Alabandite
Sulfates
Gypsum
Barite
Beudantite
Celestite
Anglesite
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
Vivianite
Fluorapatite
Pyromorphite
Variscite
...
Minerals
Index

Reference
Lutgens & Tarbuck
Ch 2
 
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