76 Interesting Names Of Minerals You Need To Know

Minerals are being used by people daily in their bodies and various industries, yet humans cannot create them.

Every day, everyone utilizes mineral-based goods. For example, halite is a mineral used as salt to season our food, calcite is a mineral that is used to make antacid pills, one mobile phone is made of numerous different minerals gathered from mines worldwide.

Check out the list below to learn more about these minerals and how they differ from each other.

List Of Green Minerals

Some popular minerals are sodalite, chrysoberyl, tourmaline, zoisite, amber, beryl, olivine, and iron. Here is a green minerals list for you to understand the properties of these light-colored minerals and how they differ from black variety gemstones.

Actinolite (Greek origin) meaning 'beam' or 'ray' because of the fibrous nature of the mineral, is a part of a solid-solution sequence.

Chlorite (Greek origin) meaning 'green', refers to a collection of common sheet silicate minerals that develop during metamorphism's early phases.

Epidote (Greek origin) meaning 'addition', is commonly found in medium-grade metamorphic rocks and altered igneous rocks. In addition, it is used as a gemstone occasionally.

Fuchsite (German origin), often known as chrome mica, is a chromium-rich variant of the phyllosilicate mineral muscovite that belongs to the mica group.

Glauconite (Greek origin) meaning 'blue', is an iron potassium phyllosilicate (mica group) mineral with a distinctive green hue that is extremely prone to cracking and has poor weathering resilience.

Olivine (Latin origin) is frequently found in dark main igneous rocks. The material is often found in the form of tiny, transparent olive-green grains and stubby crystals.

Prasiolite (Greek origin), often known as green quartz, is one of the green silicate minerals with silicon dioxide’s chemical formula. It is a variety of quartz.

Prehnite (German origin) is one of the silicate minerals formed by the combination of calcium and aluminum. It is occasionally used as a gemstone.

Serpentine (Old French origin) is a metamorphic mineral found in various marbles but is most commonly found alone as serpentinite. Asbestos fibers are the most noteworthy exception, as they are often found in glossy, streamlined shapes.

Turquoise (French origin) is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum, an opaque blue-to-green mineral.

Yellow Minerals List

Some popular minerals are fluorite, spodumene, calcite, nickel, iron, opal, gold, labradorite, magnetite, cordierite, amethyst, and spinel. Here is a list of some minerals of the yellow variety.

Alunite (French origin) is a common sulfate mineral that forms pockets or seams in volcanic rocks such as rhyolites, trachytes, and andesites.

Amber (Arabic origin) has honey-colored hues and defines its origin as tree resin. It might also be root-beer brown or almost black.

Bismite (named after its composition Bi) is a mineral composed of bismuth oxide. It is a monoclinic mineral; however, the most common form is large and clay-like, with no macroscopic crystals.

Chapmanite (named after the Canadian mineralogist, E.J. Chapman) is a nesosilicate silicate mineral found in 1924.

Citrine (French origin) is a variety of quartz. The most common yellow variety of quartz gems is citrine.

Crocoite (Greek origin) is a mineral made up of lead chromate that crystallizes in a monoclinic crystal structure.

Curite (named after Pierre Curie) is a mineral that has been named after the scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, who were pioneers in the field of radioactivity.

Gypsum (Greek origin), the most common sulfate mineral, produces crystals that are normally transparent.

Quartz (German origin) is generally always milky white or transparent, but there are a few yellow varieties that are interesting.

Sulfur (Latin origin) pure native sulfur is most typically discovered in old mine dumps, where pyrite oxidizes to form yellow films and crusts.

Rare Earth Minerals List

Apatite, sodalite, tourmaline, garnet, gypsum, amber, iron, olivine, chrysoberyl, magnetite are some of the rare Earth minerals known for their properties. Read on to know more about popular gemstones.

Apatite refers to a collection of phosphate minerals with similar chemical and physical characteristics.

Cerite is a mineral composed of a hydrous silicate of cerium and other metals in brownish masses.

Fluorite is a mineral that is made up of calcium fluoride. Fluorite is colorless and transparent, visible in ultraviolet light, but impurities turn it into a multicolored mineral with decorative and lapidary applications.

Monazite is a rare-earth element-rich phosphate mineral that is predominantly reddish-brown.

Titanite is a typical accessory mineral found as microscopic grains in various rocks. It is a mineral containing titanium dioxide, which is used in pigments.

Zircon may be found as microscopic crystals or grains in most igneous and metamorphic rocks and is extensively dispersed.

Hard Minerals List

Cymophane (variety of chrysoberyl), sard (a variety of chalcedony), heliotrope (variety of chalcedony), emerald (green gem variety of beryl), forsterite (olivine group), tanzanite (variety of Zoisite), thulite (variety of Zoisite), anyolite (metamorphic rock), and larimar (blue variety of pectolite) are some of the well-known hard minerals.

Calcite, the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate and belongs to the carbonate group of Earth minerals.

Corundum, an aluminum oxide crystal found in nature that contains traces of titanium, vanadium, iron, and chromium.

Diamond, the hardest natural material known is diamond. It is an Earth mineral made entirely of carbon. It is also the most commonly used gemstone. Diamonds are well-known for their use in jewelry.

Moissanite, a silicon carbide that occurs naturally. Because of their hardness, thermal conductivity, and optical qualities, they are suitable for industrial and commercial applications.

Orthoclase Feldspar, thin and flexible with sanidine and microcline minerals. It is a frequent ingredient of felsic igneous rocks, forming huge crystals and masses in pegmatite.

Talc, a magnesium silicate mineral composed mainly of hydrated magnesium. Talc can be crushed into a white powder known commonly as talcum powder.

Topaz, a rare fluorine and aluminum silicate Earth mineral. As a cut gemstone, it is extensively used in jewelry.

Scientific Names Of Minerals

Kunzite (variety of spodumene), green beryl (light green variety of beryl), alexandrite (variety of chrysoberyl), emerald (green gem variety of beryl), travertine (form of calcium carbonate), hiddenite (variety of Spodumene), larimar (blue variety of pectolite) are some popular minerals. Here are scientific names of some other minerals.

Acanthite (silver sulfide) next to galena, acanthite is the most significant silver ore. Silver ore and mineral specimens are also used.

Andradite (calcium iron silicate) is a calcium iron garnet, and a calcium aluminum garnet; both originate in contact or regional metamorphic settings.

Bornite (copper iron sulfide) is a copper ore mineral that is widely used. Copper ore is used extensively.

Calomel (mercury chloride) is a somewhat uncommon mineral seldom encountered in substantial amounts.

Citrine (variety of quartz-silicon oxide) any yellow or orange variety of quartz crystal or cluster is known as citrine.

Copper (Cu) has been mined for millennia, but it is nearly exhausted as an economically viable mineral.

Cylindrite (iron lead tin antimony sulfide) is a rare sulfide mineral.

Diopside (calcium magnesium silicate) is a rock-forming mineral that may be found in a variety of rocks.

Dyscrasite (silver antimonite) is a fascinating, uncommon, and aesthetically pleasing silver mineral.

Emerald (variety of beryl-beryllium aluminum silicate) the mineral beryl comes in a range of green colors, including emerald.

Eucryptite (lithium aluminum silicate) one of the rare silicate minerals with trigonal symmetry is eucryptite.

Flint (variety of quartz-silicon oxide) is a chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) type notable for its ease of blade formation.

Gold (Au), as many individuals have found throughout the past and worldwide, gold is a joy to acquire and possess.

Graphite (carbon) is a kind of carbon polymorph.

Hedenbergite (calcium iron silicate) is a mineral that forms rock in various metamorphic rocks, particularly contact metamorphic rocks and skarns.

Hematite (iron oxide) is a significant iron mineral, and its blood-red hue (in powdered form) lends itself nicely to being used as a pigment.

Ilvaite (calcium iron silicate hydroxide) is not a mineral commonly found in rock stores.

Kutnohorite (calcium magnesium carbonate) is an uncommon carbonate mineral.

Leucite (potassium aluminum silicate) is a well-known and fascinating mineral. It is among the few minerals found in the shape of a trapezohedron.

Magnetite (iron oxide) although it can occur as iron, it is not a component of typical rust.

Minium (lead oxide), sometimes known as 'red lead', is a byproduct of the oxidation of other lead minerals.

Platinum (Pt) is a rare mineral specimen and a valuable metal.

Powellite (calcium molybdenite) is one of just a few molybdenum minerals that are quite prevalent.

Ruby (variety of corundum-aluminum oxide), the red type of corundum, the second hardest natural mineral known to antiquity is the ruby.

Rutile (titanium oxide) is a significant titanium resource, a metal utilized in high-tech alloys.

Silver (Ag) for millennia, silver has been mined and has always been favored in jewelry and coins.

Spodumene (lithium aluminum silicate) is a mineral that forms rocks in granites and pegmatite that include other lithium minerals.

Trona (hydrated sodium bicarbonate carbonate) is a type of mineral that refers to a group of sodium carbonates.

Valentinite (antimony oxide) is a lustrous, fibrous oxide mineral.

Zippeite (hydrated potassium uranyl sulfate hydroxide) is generated in uranium mines as a secondary mineral and as an efflorescent crust.

Names Of Gray Minerals

Here are names for gray minerals which are extracted from a variety of sources.

Anglesite, a mineral composed of lead sulfate that may be found in huge amounts as colorless or colored crystals.

Arsenic, a gray metal seldom found as a free element but is abundant in minerals and ores containing copper, iron, and lead.

Boracite, an evaporite mineral found with other evaporite minerals such as anhydrite, gypsum, and halite.

Borax, a complex borate mineral found in evaporite deposits and playa lakes.

Cinnabar, a brilliant red mineral composed of mercury sulfide occasionally used as a pigment variety.

Froodite, the mineral froodite is an opaque metallic gray crystal that contains bismuth and palladium.

Galena, silver with a dark gray stripe.

Leadhillite, a beautiful mineral that is brilliantly lustered and occasionally colored.

Lenaite, a pyramidal tetragonal-ditetragonal gray mineral that contains iron, silver, and sulfur.

Powellite, a mineral that is extremely similar to scheelite. However, it is considerably rarer.

Rayite, antimony, lead, silver, sulfur, and thallium-containing monoclinic-prismatic mineral.

Scheelite, a mineral that belongs to the sulfates, chromates, molybdates, and tungstates group.

Zircon, a mineral that occurs in prismatic crystals. It is the main resource of zirconium and is a variety composed of zirconium silicate.