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Table of ContentsThoriteBerylAquamarine Zircon and Zirconium Minerals; ZrSiO4 are colorless, pale yellow, grayish, yellowish green, brownish yellow, reddish brown; powder, white or nearly so; luster, like diamond, or glassy; H = 7.5; G = 4.68 to 4.70; crystals, tetragonal; cleavage, imperfect; composition silicate of zirconia (ZrO2).—Found in igneous rocks of the acidic kind, for example, syenite, and especially in pegmatite dikes;

Table of ContentsFeldsparsHornblende VS AmphiboleTremoliteActinolitePyroxeneNepheline & NepheliteSodaliteLapis-lazuli or lazuríteZirconGarnetOlivine, Chrysolite or PeridotEpidote or PistaciteTopazTourmaline or SchorlCalamine or HemimorphiteStauroliteAndalusiteRhodoniteMicaChloriteSerpentineGarnieriteTalcSoapstone or steatiteKaolin or China ClayTitanite or Sphene The chemical name for the substance of quartz is silica; and any mineral that is composed in part of silica is a silicate. In the Classification of Silicate Minerals and the study of minerals and rocks, silica

Table of ContentsAugiteDiopsideDiallageHyperstheneEnstatiteJadeiteSpodumene The mineral pyroxene is a name applied to a group of silicates that are similar in composition to the hornblende group, but not so often containing soda and potash. Cleavage pieces show angles of 93° and 87°, thus making nearly square edges, a clear distinction between them and the sharp and obtuse edges of cleavage pieces of

Table of ContentsOrthoclaseAdularia & SanidineMicroclineAlbiteOligoclaseAndesineLabradoriteAnorthite Feldspars constitute a group of similar minerals, which may be described as silicates of aluminum and either potash or soda or lime. Color, white, or pale shades of yellow, red, or green, sometimes gray; powder, white; luster, glassy; usually opaque; H = 6 to 6.5; G = 2.55 to 2.75; crystals, in the monoclinic system (orthoclase) or in

Table of ContentsCalcite or CalcsparDolomiteMagnesiteHydromagnesiteSiderite or Iron SparAnkeriteRhodochrosite or Manganese SparStrontianiteWitheriteCerussite or White Lead OreSmithsoniteMalachiteAzurite This is an introduction list that covers the most common carbonates minerals which are compounds of carbon dioxide (frequently called carbonic acid) with oxides of metals. In naming individual carbonates, the name of the metal is used; but if the name of the oxide of

Table of ContentsMagnetite or Magnetic Iron Ore: Fe3O4Ilmenite or Titanic Iron Ore: FeTiO3FrankliniteHematite: Fe2O3Limonite: 2F2O33H2OGoethite: Fe2O3H2OChromite: FeCr2O4Stellite AlloysNichromeStainless SteelTinstone or Cassiterite: SnO2Corundum: Al2O3Bauxite: Al2O3·2H2OPyrolusite: MnO2Psilomelane or Hard Manganese OreBrauniteZincite or Red Zinc Ore ZnOCuprite or Red Copper Ore: Cu2ORutile (M 82): TiO2Quartz: SiO2Varieties of Quartz Oxide minerals can be listed as compounds of oxygen with metals. A list of the common oxide minerals with the spinel structure, together with their compositions, u

Table of ContentsIron Pyrites or PyriteMarcasiteCopper Pyrites or ChalcopyritePyrrhotite or Magnetic PyritesBornite or Peacock Copper OreChalcocite or Copper GlanceTetrahedrite or Gray Copper OreGalenaJamesoniteBournoniteStibnite, Gray Antimony or Antimony GlanceBismuthiniteMolybdeniteArgentitePyrargyrite or Dark-Red Silver OreProustite or Light-Red Silver OreCinnabar HgSTelluridesSylvaniteCalaveritePetziteHessiteAltaiteColoradoiteKalgoorliteTetradymiteSmaltiteChloanthiteMispickel or ArsenopyriteDyscrasiteNiccoliteBreithaupticZinc Blende or Sphalerite The sulphide minerals are compounds of the metals with sulphur. Nearly all these minerals have a metallic luster,

Table of ContentsTetrahedrite or Gray Copper OreJamesoniteBournoniteStibnite, Gray Antimony or Antimony GlancePyrargyrite or Dark-Red Silver OreDyscrasiteBreithauptic Tetrahedrite or Gray Copper Ore Part of the list of all Antimony Minerals Group is Cu2Sb8S7. — Color, grayish or grayish black; powder, grayish or grayish black, sometimes inclining to brown or reddish; luster, metallic; H = 3 to 4; G=4.4 to 5.1; no

Table of ContentsSmaltiteChloanthiteMispickel or ArsenopyriteNiccoliteProustite or Light-Red Silver Ore Arsenide minerals are compounds of the metals with arsenic. The list of nearly all these minerals have a metallic luster, i.e., the peculiar shining appearance of metals. Smaltite CoAs2. — Color, tin-white to steel- gray; the white color is seen in the larger crystals, but since smaltite is usually massive (i.

Table of ContentsGoldSilverCopperPlatinumIridosmine or osmiridiumArsenicBismuthList Native NON-METAL ElementsSulphurDiamondGraphiteCoalAnthraciteBituminous coal (soft coal)Lignite (brown coal)PetroleumAmber Here is a List Of Native Elements Minerals & Naturally Occurring Metals In Pure Form are subdivided into two classes, metals and nonmetals, to accord with similar divisions in chemistry. Gold Symbol, Au.; color, yellow, but paler when mixed with silver, which is usually present in native gold; H =

Table of ContentsHow to Study the Mineral DescriptionsQuartz Specimen The great majority of minerals are compounds of two or more elements, though a few are native elements, i. e., elementary substances, as gold, silver, platinum, copper, carbon, and sulphur, which are found naturally. Minerals may be conveniently divided into the following eight Major Mineral Groups, and the descriptions will be in

Table of ContentsDescription of the Crystal SystemsCubic or Regular Crystal SystemsTetragonal Crystal SystemsHexagonal Crystal SystemsOrthorhombic Crystal SystemsMonoclinic Crystal SystemsTriclinic Crystal SystemsCrystal Cleavage and FractureCrystal PartingCrystal Twinning Minerals have taken their place in the earth’s crust by becoming solid from an originally liquid or, sometimes, gaseous condition, either melted rock matter (magma) or dissolved in water or other solvents. When the change from a liquid to a

Table of ContentsCassiterite (tin ore, oxide of tin, tinstone)Stream TinWood TinBellmetal Ore (sulphide of tin) When a tin-bearing mineral is heated before the blowpipe with carbonate of soda or charcoal, white metallic tin is yielded. By dissolving this in hydrochloric acid and adding metallic zinc, the tin will be deposited in a spongy form. In the blowpipe assay, tin leaves

Most precious stones belong to such formations as granitic, gneissic, porphyritic rocks, and are generally found in the débris of such; and although certain diamond-bearing soils may be of a comparatively recent age, they are for all that made up of the constituents of the older rocks. Corundum, sapphire, and ruby are found in gneiss, granite, mica slate, chlorite slate,

Table of ContentsKupfernickel (Arsenical nickel)White Nickel (nickel glance)Emerald Nickel (a carbonate of nickel) To test the presence of nickel in a mineral, by means of the blowpipe, requires great care. If heated on charcoal, together with carbonate of soda in the inner flame, a grey metallic powder, attractable by the magnet, is formed. If heated with borax on platinum wire