List of minerals (complete)

Mineralogy is an active field with new minerals being discovered or recognised and old names discredited on a regular basis. Given that, a list of recognised mineral species is never complete. The International Mineralogical Association (IMA) is the international group that recognises new minerals and new mineral names. However, minerals discovered before 1959 did not go through the official naming procedure. Some minerals published previously have been either confirmed or discredited since that date. This list contains a mixture of mineral names that have been approved since 1959 and those mineral names believed to still refer to valid mineral species (these are called "grandfathered" species). Presently, each year about 50-60 new mineral species are officially approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association.^[1]

The IMA/CNMNC administrates c. 6,500 names,^[2] and the Handbook of Mineralogy lists 3,803 species.^[3] The IMA Database of Mineral Properties/ Rruff Project lists 4,803 valid species (IMA/CNMNC) of total 4,976 minerals. Pre-IMA minerals are 1,289, 140 are approved minerals but without a published description yet and 35 are discredited (IMA/CNMNC status).^[4]

The Webmineral.com lists 2,722 published and approved (IMA/CNMNC) minerals, 1,627 pre-IMA minerals, 81 discredited minerals (IMA/CNMNC status), 2,691 synonyms, 149 approved minerals but without a published description yet and 123 not approved names.^[5]

Due to the length of this list, it is divided into alphabetical groups. The minerals are sorted by name.

• Abbreviations:
  • "*" – discredited (IMA/CNMNC status).
  • "s.p." – special procedure.
  • ^Q or "?" – questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC, mindat.org or mineralienatlas.de status).
  • ^N – published without approval of the IMA/CNMNC, or just not an IMA approved mineral but with some acceptance in the scientific community nowadays. The 'IMA database of mineral properties' (rruff.info/ima) has 173 species with 'not an IMA approved mineral' tag, some are an intermediate member of a solid solution series, others are "recently" discredited minerals.^[4]
  • ^I – intermediate member of a solid-solution series.
  • ^H – hypothetical mineral (synthetic, anthropogenic, etc.)
    • ^ch – incomplete description, hypothetical solid solution end member. Published without approval and formally discredited or not approved, yet.
      • Mainly: pyrochlore, tourmaline and amphibole supergroups, arrojadite, and yftisite-(Y). IMA/CNMNC revisions generate hypothetical solid solution endmembers.
  • group – a name used to designate a group of species, sometimes only a mineral group name.

History

• The name of a new mineral is an IMA secret until it is approved or until its full description is published, its authors' option ('IMA 2009-D').^[6] The IMA uses a code for its own procedures for the supposed new mineral (and so it is a synonym). Ferri-ottoliniite's proposal got code '2001-067', it was redefined and approved as '2001-067a' in 2003, for instance (the ottoliniite root name is discredited since 2012).^[7]
• Current IMA regulations do not allow substances of anthropogenic origin (burning coal mine dumps, coal mine fires, slag, etc.) to be validated as a mineral species. Since 1998, the majority of polymorphs (especially polytypes and polytypoids) are not regarded as separate mineral species anymore.^[8]
• "The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana" (7 ed.) was the reference of CNMNC/CNMMN's (IMA) initial work. At the Kobe 2006 general meeting, the IMA council endorsed the creation of an internet site on minerals ('rruff.info/ima'). So a Master List was needed and the older minerals got reviewed, a document of 130 pages. The final GQN List got published (grandfathered, questionable and published without approval) after a final review of Burke E A J and Nickel E H (approved decision 'IMA 2006-C'). Not only the well established minerals before 1959 got grandfathered (G), but the minerals that could not be discredited as well. The merging of the 'ARD List' (approved, revalidated and discredited) with the 'GQN List' resulted in the first 'IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral Names'. The 2007 draft of the 'IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral Names' was a courtesy of the Materials Data, Inc. (MDI), its 2009 review got important modifications.^[9][10] The RRUFF database was built with the help of the MDI's 2007 draft, the IMA Master List is an update of the MDI's 2009 review.^[11][12][13] Some grandfathered minerals got their status changed to approved afterwards, based on IMA approved reports.
• Some mineral names got a revision, this changed their first letters. Sodium-pharmacosiderite is now natropharmacosiderite, natroapophyllite is now fluorapophyllite-(Na), for instance.^{[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]} But 2010, hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite, fluorellestadite and chlorapatite got their old names back.^[21]
• Everything is slower on earth sciences, geology, mineralogy:
  • Georgius Agricola's De re metallica libri xii though apparently finished in 1550, was published 1556 (the author died 1555).
  • Some IMA/CNMNC (1959–2000) approved minerals had their complete description published only 2012: 'IMA 1998-018' (fluornatromicrolite, published 2011), 'IMA 1987-046a' (ferrolaueite, published 2012), 'IMA 1978-064' (approval probably based on fake data), 'IMA 1977-006' (whelanite, published 2012) and 'IMA 1968-003' (discredited, 'IMA 2008-B'). 'IMA 1995-025' was listed as well, a mistake (natroglaucocerinite, published 1995).^[1]
  • Some minerals were published without being submitted to IMA approval.
    • Imogolite, 09.ED.20, was first published 1962.^[22][23] Its formal discreditation by the IMA was published 1967, as its description was incomplete.^[24] The IMA referred it to the AIPEA (Association Internationale Pour l'Étude des Argiles) for advice and it was approved by the AIPEA (Nomenclature Committee) at its Tokyo meeting (1970).^[25][26] Fleischer (1983) described it as a variety of allophane and it was finally redefined and approved by the IMA 1986.^[27][28]
    • Amorphous allophane, nanotube-like imogolite (Al
      2SiO
      3(OH)
      4), halloysite-10Å (Al
      2Si
      2O
      5(OH)
      4·2H
      2O), halloysite-7Å (Al
      2Si
      2O
      5(OH)
      4) and gibbsite (Al(OH)
      3) are thought to be products of tuff weathering.
  • Every year some valid names get discredited (in the broader sense).
    • Ramdohr (1936) discovered that the type material of schapbachite (Ag_0.4Pb_0.2Bi_0.4S) was a mixture of galena (PbS) and matildite (AgBiS₂).^[29] It was discredited (1982) as it was found unstable at 'standard temperature and pressure' (STP).^[30] It was revalidated (2004) as Pb-bearing schabachite is stable at STP.^[31] The type locality isn't Schapbach now, but Silberbrünnle Mine, Gengenbach; both Black Forest localities.
    • Tohdite (hydrous alumina) was conditionally approved as 'IMA 2004-051'. But the re-examination of the holotype material of akdalaite ((Al₂O₃)₅·H₂O, 'IMA 1969-002') from the Fersman Mineralogical Museum in Moscow showed that both minerals were identical (space group got corrected).^[32]
    • Buserite was approved as 'IMA 1970-024'.^[33] It lost its approval, but it is listed as a valid mineral nowadays.^[34][35]
    • Tellurocanfieldite was conditionally approved as 'IMA 2012-013'. Its approval was withdrawn as further studies showed it to be a Te-rich variety of canfieldite (Y: 1894, 02.BA.70).^[36]
• Some old minerals were known before their 20th century names were first published.
• Silicate perovskites, argentite and β-quartz are not valid minerals, as they do not occur on Earth's surface (standard temperature and pressure, STP). Some minerals are unstable on Earth's surface (metastability): diamonds, cohenite and haxonite for instance. Acanthite var. argentite (a pseudomorph after argentite) is sometimes sold as argentite.^[37]

Notes

Feldspar series

Kyanite

Andalusite

Sillimanite

Phase diagram of Al₂SiO₅
(nesosilicates).^[38]

• Attention with the amphiboles: some mineral names got redefined (2012 s.p. was the last revision), some even more than once; i.e. their chemical formula range changed.^[7] For example, aluminotaramite ('IMA 2006-023', 09.DE.20) is a synonym of ferro-taramite, sodic-ferri-ferropedrizite (2003 s.p., 09.DE.25) was renamed to ferro-ferri-pedrizite, ehimeite is a synonym of chromio-pargasite ('IMA 2011-023', 09.DE.15), kôzulite is a synonym of mangano-arfvedsonite ('IMA 1968-028', 09.DE.25) and kornite is a synonym of potassic-mangani-leakeite ('IMA 1992-032', 09.DE.25).
• Some IMA-CNMNC approved minerals have a questionable status on mineralienatlas.de, but their unit cell parameters are given on mindat.org (or vice versa). Their status here doesn't change, it remains 'approved mineral'.
• The mineral systematic given on Nickel-Strunz (9 and 10 ed) is not controversial. Dmisteinbergite (feldspar, 09.EG.15), uranyl sorovanadates (04.HD. ids) and silica family (04.DA. ids) are some exceptions, for instance.
• The data of a mineral on the databases is similar but not equal. For instance:
  • Opal is a valid IMA/CNMNC name but it is a mineraloid (a mixture of cristobalite and/or tridymite and amorphous silica), it has a page on Mindat.org and Webmineral.com but not on the Handbook of Mineralogy.
    • Ice, mercury (low melting point); allophane, delvauxite, hisingerite (amorphous/ poorly cristalline); actinolite, augite, omphacite, sanidine (intermediate member of a solid solution series) are IMA/CNMNC valid names too. The reasons can be inherited pre-IMA status, practical reasons or entrenchment in the literature, including medical and legal usage.
  • Oligoclase^I is an albite variety on Mindat.org and it has pages on the Handbook of Minerals and Webmineral.com, see 'List of minerals (synonyms)' (plagioclase/albite-anorthite series). It is not the only intermediate member of a solid solution series with a page on the Handbook of Mineralogy (Mineral varieties).
  • The Handbook of Mineralogy has pages on clinochrysotile, orthochrysotile and parachrysotile, but not on chrysotile; but they are polytypes of chrysotile, see 'List of minerals (synonyms)'.
  • Mindat.org uses to give the chemical formula of some minerals as a range (between parentheses, if tin dominant then herzenbergite: (Sn,Pb)SnS₂; otherwise teallite: (Pb,Sn)SnS₂), on the other side the IMA Database of Mineral Properties/ Rruff Project uses to give the ideal chemical formula of the solid solution end member (herzenbergite: SnS).
    • The given chemical names are a compromise for information purposes, being based on the Nickel-Strunz code too. Most of the time the chemical formula on rruff.info was used, sometimes the simpler one on mindat.org. To illustrate it: bartonite, K₃Fe₁₀S₁₄ (mindat.org), K₆Fe₂₀S₂₆S (rruff.info); bayleyite, Mg₂(UO₂)(CO₃)₃·18H₂O (mindat.org), Mg₂(UO₂)(CO₃)₃(H₂O)₁₂·6H₂O (rruff.info) and bredigite, Ca₇Mg(SiO₄)₄ (mindat.org), CaCa₁₃Mg₂(SiO₄)₈ (rruff.info).
    • Caution with the chemical formula units of silicates and their "formula masses". Some molecules have a repeating unit, these might be chains, networks, polymers, and so the true molecule might be a multiple of the smallest repeating unit (the unit cell of a crystal is formed by repeating 'Z' times the chemical formula). Examples: wadsleyite (Mg₂SiO₄) a sorosilicate and high pressure polymorth of forsterite and ringwoodite; leucophanite (NaCaBeSi₂O₆F), but it has Nickel-Strunz identification code 09.DH.05 (inosilicates with 4-periodic single chains, Si₄O₁₂); clinoenstatite (MgSiO₃), but it has Nickel-Strunz identification code 09.DA.10 (inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si₂O₆); scolecite (CaAl₂Si₃O₁₀·3H₂O), but it has Nickel-Strunz identification code 09.GA.05 (zeolites with T₅O₁₀ units – the fibrous zeolites); mogánite (SiO₂), but it has Nickel-Strunz identification code 04.DA.20 (oxides with small cations: silica family).
• Other curiosities:
  • Niggliite (former 01.AG.60, year: 1938), sorosite (former 01.AC.15, IMA 1994-047), yuanjiangite (former 01.AC.15, IMA 1993-028) are not classified as tin alloys (PGE-metal alloys and indium-tin family) in Fleischer's Glossary. But, they are stannide minerals (nickeline mineral group), sulfide mineral class.^[39][40]
  • Tiragalloite (09.BJ.25, IMA 1969-061, Mn₄²⁺(HAsSi₃O₁₃)), is an arsenosilicate and grenmarite (9.BE.25, IMA 2003-024, (Na,Ca)₄(Mn,Na)(Zr,Mn)₂(Zr,Ti)(Si₂O₇)₂(O,F)₄) is a zirconium silicate (analogous to the more common aluminosilicates, borosilicates and titanium silicates).^[41][42]
  • Mostly anthropogenic minerals: abhurite (03.DA.30), lausenite (07.CB.70), guildite (07.DC.30), hoelite (10.CA.15), calclacite (10.AA.25)
  • Studtite (04.GA.15, year: 1947) is the first peroxide mineral, the facies radioactivity generate peroxide.
  • Ianthinite (04.GA.10, year: 1926, U(IV) is one of the constituents of the mineral), it gets a layer of schoepite/ metaschoepite in the presence of oxygen.
  • Menezesite (04.FN.05, IMA 2005-023) and aspedamite (IMA 2011-056), are the only natural heteropolyniobates known.
  • Icosahedrite (IMA 2010-042), the only natural quasicrystal known.
  • Comancheite (IMA 2013-B/ IMA 1980-077, former 03.DD.65) is a mercury nitride mineral now.
  • Megacyclite (09.CP.10, IMA 1991-015); chemical formula unit with 111 atoms; unit cell with 4 formula units (Z).
  • Labyrinthite (09.CO.10, IMA 2002-065); chemical formula unit with 278.5 atoms; unit cell with 3 formula units (Z).
  • Ashcroftine-(Y) (09.DN.15, year: 1933); chemical formula unit with 180 atoms; unit cell with 4 formula units (Z).
• The existence in nature of some questionable/ doubtful minerals is very unlikely at all or at the type locality. For example, iodine^Q (Y: 1897, I₂) 01.AA.15, chloromagnesite^Q (Y: 1872, MgCl₂) 03.AB.20 and zinkosite^Q (Y: 1852, ZnSO₄) 07.AB.10.^[43][44][45]
• Some names are not names of minerals anymore, but names of a group of minerals:
  • Biotite group,^{[46][nb 1][47]}
    • The IMA/CNMMN, Subcommittee on Nomenclature of the Micas (1998, 1999) has recommended that the name biotite be used for a series including phlogopite, siderophyllite, annite and eastonite.^[48]
  • Chabazite group,^{[49][nb 2][50]}
  • Dachiardite group,^{[51][52][nb 3]}
  • Heulandite group,^{[53][nb 4][54]}
  • Pyrochlore supergroup:
    • The pyrochlore supergroup got a revision 2010. The update of the databases isn't complete, yet.
    • Pyrochlore group,^[55][56][57]
    • Roméite group,^[58][59][60]
    • Betafite group,^[61][62][63]
    • Microlite group,^[64]
    • Elsmoreite group,^[65]

Gallery

• 

  Halite/ hydrohalite phase diagram

• 

  Ternary phase diagram: anorthite (CaAl₂Si₂O₈), wollastonite (CaSiO₃) and titanite (CaTiSiO₅)

• 

  Sulfur/ β-sulfur diagram, rosickyite turns slowly to α-sulfur at room temperature

• 

  Theoretically predicted phase diagram of carbon

• 

  Biotite series (micas)

See also

• Classification of minerals - Non silicates
• Classification of minerals - Silicates
• Geology
• List of minerals: short list emphasizing those with Wikipedia articles.
• List of rock types
• Mineralogy
• Mineraloid
• Rock

Further reading

• Clark, A. (1993). Hey's Mineral Index (3 ed.). London: Chapman & Hall. p. 852. 
• Gaines, R.V.; Skinner, H.C.; Foord, E.E.; Mason, B.; Rosenzweig, A. (1997). Dana’s New Mineralogy: The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury (8 ed.). New York: Wiley & Sons. p. 1819. ISBN 978-0-471-19310-4. 
• Strunz, Hugo; Nickel, Ernest H. (2001). Strunz Mineralogical Tables (9 ed.). Stuttgart: Schweizerbart. p. 869. ISBN 978-3-510-65188-7. 
• Ferraiolo, J.A. (2003). A Systematic Classification of Minerals. Bowie, US-MD. p. 441. 
• Back, Malcolm E. (2014). Fleischer’s Glossary of Mineral Species (11 ed.). Tucson AZ: Mineralogical Record Inc. p. 434. 
• Deer, William A.; Howie, Robert A.; Zussman, Jack (2013). An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals (3 ed.). London: Mineralogical Society. p. 498. ISBN 9780903056274.  Note: known as DHZ.

Notes

1. ↑ No Webmineral reference
2. ↑ No Webmineral reference
3. ↑ No Handbook of Mineralogy reference
4. ↑ No Webmineral reference

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Minerals.

• Mindat.org, the mineral database
• Webmineral.com
• Mineralatlas.eu