List Of Minerals

Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various species. Within a mineral species there may be variation in physical properties or minor amounts of impurities that are recognized by mineralogists or wider society as a mineral variety.

Mineral variety names are listed after the valid minerals for each letter.

For a more complete listing of all mineral names, see List of minerals recognized by the International Mineralogical Association.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Adamantine spar (variety of corundum)
• Agate (variety of chalcedony and quartz)
• Alabaster (variety of gypsum)
• Alexandrite (variety of chrysoberyl)
• Allingite (synonym of amber)
• Alum
• Amazonite (variety of microcline)
• Amethyst (purple variety of quartz)
• Ametrine (variety of quartz)
• Ammolite (organic; also a gemstone)
• Amosite (asbestiform grunerite)
• Antozonite (variety of fluorite)
• Anyolite (metamorphic rock - zoisite, ruby, and hornblende)
• Aquamarine (light blue variety of beryl)
• Argentite (high temperature form of acanthite)
• Asbestos (fibrous serpentine- or amphibole minerals)
• Auerlite (variety of thorite)
• Avalite (chromian variety of illite)
• Aventurine (variety of quartz)

 

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Barbertonite (polytype of stichtite)
• Bauxite (aluminium ore)
• Beckerite (natural resin)
• Bentonite (mixture of montmorillonite and other clays)
• Bixbite (red gem variety of beryl)
• Bowenite (variety of antigorite)
• Brammallite (variety of illite)
• Brokenhillite (not approved by IMA)
• Buergerite (renamed to fluor-buergerite)
• Bursaite (not approved by IMA)
• Bytownite (variety of anorthite)

 

 

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Campylite (variety of mimetite)
• Carnelian (variety of quartz)
• Cementite (synthetic cohenite)
• Ceylonite (variety of spinel)
• Chalcedony (cryptocrystalline variety of quartz and moganite)
• Chiastolite (variety of andalusite)
• Chlorastrolite (variety of pumpellyite-(Mg))
• Chrysoprase (green nickel bearing chalcedony)
• Chrysotile (group name - asbestiform serpentine)
• Citrine (yellow variety of quartz)
• Cleveite (variety of uraninite)
• Clinochrysotile (polytype of chrysotile)
• Coltan (short for minerals of the columbite group)
• Crocidolite (asbestiform riebeckite)
• Cymophane (variety of chrysoberyl)

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Delessite (magnesian chamosite)
• Diallage (a junction between augite and diopside)

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Elsmoreite (pure hydrokenoelsmoreite)
• Emerald (green gem variety of beryl)

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Fassaite (variety of augite)
• Ferrocolumbite (synonym of columbite-(Fe))
• Ferrotantalite (synonym of tantalite-(Fe))
• Fluorspar (synonym of fluorite)
• Francolite (variety of fluorapatite)

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Garnierite (a nickel ore)
• Gedanite (fossilized resin)
• Glessite (natural resin)
• Goshenite (colorless variety of beryl)

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Hatchettite (a paraffin wax)
• Heliodor (greenish-yellow variety of beryl)
• Heliotrope (variety of chalcedony)
• Hessonite (variety of grossular)
• Hiddenite (variety of spodumene)
• Hyalite (variety of opal)
• Hyalophane (synonym of jaloallofane)
• Hypersthene (synonym of enstatite or ferrosilite, or mid-way member of the enstatite–ferrosilite series) (not approved by IMA)

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Idocrase (synonym of vesuvianite)
• Iolite (a gem-quality variety of cordierite)

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Jade (tough, green mineral either jadeite or nephrite amphibole)
• Jasper (variety of quartz)
• Jeffersonite (variety of augite)

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Keilhauite (variety of titanite)
• Kerolite (variety of talc) (not approved by IMA)
• Krantzite (natural resin)
• Kunzite (variety of spodumene)

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Larimar (blue variety of pectolite)
• Lignite (a type of coal)
• Lodestone (a synonym of magnetite)
• Lublinite (variety of calcite)

 

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Magnesia
• Magnesiocummingtonite (magnesium-rich variety of cummingtonite)
• Malacolite (synonym of diopside)
• Manganocolumbite (synonym of columbite-(Mn))
• Manganotantalite (synonym of tantalite-(Mn))
• Mariposite (variety of phengite/muscovite)
• Meerschaum (variety of sepiolite)
• Melanite (variety of andradite)
• Menilite (variety of opal)
• Milky quartz (a cloudy white quartz)
• Morganite (a pink beryl)

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Nephrite (variety of tremolite/actinolite)
• Niobite (synonym of columbite)
• Niobite-tantalite (synonym of columbite-tantalite)

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Oligoclase (a mixture of albite and anorthite)
• Onyx (a monochromatic banded variety of chalcedony)
• Orthochrysotile (a polytype of chrysotile)

 

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Parachrysotile (a polytype of chrysotile)
• Pelagosite (variety of aragonite)
• Pericline (variety of albite)
• Peridot (gem-quality olivine)
• Perlite (volcanic glass)
• Phengite (variety of muscovite)
• Phosphorite (name given to impure, massive apatite.)
• Pimelite (not approved by IMA)
• Pitchblende (a massive impure form of uraninite)
• Plessite (mixture of kamacite and taenite)
• Potassium alum or potash alum (as a mineral, is called alum-(K))

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Rashleighite (variety of turquoise)
• Rhodolite (variety of pyrope)
• Rock crystal (quartz)
• Rose quartz (pink variety of quartz)
• Roumanite (amber)
• Ruby (red gem corundum)

 

 

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Sapphire (gem corundum of any color except red, especially blue varieties)
• Sard (a variety of chalcedony/quartz)
• Satinspar (a variety of gypsum)
• Selenite (a variety of gypsum)
• Simetite (a variety of amber)
• Smoky quartz (a brown or black variety of quartz)
• Soda niter (synonym of nitratine)
• Spectrolite (a variety of labradorite)
• Spessartite (synonym of spessartine)
• Sphene (synonym of titanite)
• Stantienite (a variety of amber)
• Stibiconite (grandfathered by IMA)
• Sunstone (a variety of either oligoclase or orthoclase)

 

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Tanzanite (variety of zoisite)
• Thulite (variety of zoisite)
• Thuringite (variety of chamosite)
• Travertine (form of calcium carbonate)
• Tsavorite (gem variety of grossularite garnet)

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Yttrocerite (variety of fluorite)
• Yttrocolumbite (variety of columbite)

 

 

Varieties that are not valid species:

• Zajacite-(Ce) (name changed to gagarinite-(Ce))
• Zhonghuacerite-(Ce) (considered to be kukharenkoite-(Ce) or huanghoite-(Ce))
• Zinalsite (synonym of fraipontite)

 

Wiki Commons has media related to Minerals.

• Mineralatlas.eu - The mineralogical and geological database
• Mindat.org – The Mineral Database
• Gemdat.org – The Gemstone Database
• Gemsociety.org - Gemstone Toxicity Table