Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-r5d9c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-06T07:13:22.384Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
This chapter is part of a book that is no longer available to purchase from Cambridge Core

14 - Classification and names of minerals

from Part III - Variety of minerals and mineral-forming processes

Hans-Rudolf Wenk  and
Andrei Bulakh
Hans-Rudolf Wenk
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
Andrei Bulakh
Affiliation:
St Petersburg State University
Get access

Summary

Minerals, mineral species, and mineral varieties

In the first chapter we defined a mineral as a naturally occurring solid with well-defined chemistry that is formed by geological and biochemical processes. Note that substances formed by human intervention (e.g., products of interaction between seawater and metallurgical slag, or products of coal combustion) are not regarded as minerals. A certain mineral may exist with different morphologies, showing different properties and slight variations in its internal structure. Because of isomorphism the chemical composition of a mineral may also fluctuate. Each particular mineral is therefore a sort of “individual”, much as individual plants or animals within a species differ from each other. Biologists introduced the term species to collect individuals with similar characteristics, basing their definition largely on morphological factors. Similarly, the term mineral species has been introduced to include natural crystals with similar structural and chemical properties.

As an illustration, consider how this term can be used with the garnet mineral group. Garnets have a common formula R13R22(SiO4)3 (R1 and R2 representing two different cations). They crystallize in cubic symmetry, and their morphology typically displays rhombic dodecahedra, irregular grains, or solid masses. Garnets may be white, green, yellow, brown, raspberry-red, pink or black in color, with considerable variations in density, hardness, and refractive index. This variation can be explained in terms of fluctuations in chemical composition due to isomorphism (see Chapter 6).

Information

Type
Chapter
Information
Minerals
Their Constitution and Origin
 , pp. 255 - 265
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anthony, J. W., Bideaux, R. A., Bladh, K. W. and Nichols, M. C. (1990–2000). Handbook of Mineralogy, vols. 1–4. Mineral Data Publ., Tucson, AZ
Blackburn, W. H. and Dennen, W. H. (1997). Encyclopedia of Mineral Names. The Canadian Mineralogist, Special Publication no. 1, 360pp
Bragg, W. L. and Claringbull, G. F. (1965). Crystal Structure of Minerals. Bell and Sons, London, 409pp
Clark, A. (1993). M. Hey's Mineral Index, 3rd edn. Chapman & Hall, London
Deer, W. A., Zussman, J. and Howie, R. A. (1992). An Introduction to the Rock-forming Minerals. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 720pp
Feklichev V. G. (1992). Diagnostic Constants of Minerals, Mir Publ., Moscow (in Russian); CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 688pp. (in English)
Frye, K. (ed.) (1981). The Encyclopedia of Mineralogy, Hutchinson Ross, Stroudsburg, PA, 794pp
Lima-de-Faria J. (1994). Structural Mineralogy: An Introduction. Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht and Boston, 346ppCrossRef
Mandarino, J. A. (1999) Fleischer's Glossary of Mineral Species. The Mineralogical Record Inc., Tuscon, AZ, 225pp
Mitchell, R. S. (1979). Mineral Names: What Do They Mean? Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 229pp
Nickel E. and Nichols M. C. (1991). Mineral Reference Manual, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 250pp
Palache, C., Berman, H. and Frondel, C. (1966). The System of Mineralogy of J. D. Dana and E. S. Dana, 3 vols. Wiley, New York
Povarennykh, A. S. (1966). Crystal Chemical Classification of Minerals. Naukova Dumka Press, Kiev (in Russian); Plenum Press, New York and London (1972), 2 vols., 766pp. (in English)
Ramdohr, P. (1969). The Ore Minerals and their Intergrowths, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1174pp
Roberts, W. L., Campbell, T. J. and Rapp, G. R. (1990). Encyclopedia of Minerals, 2nd edn. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 979pp
Strubel, G. and Zimmer, S. H. (1982). Lexikon der Mineralogie, Ferdinand Enke Verlag, Stuttgart
Strunz, H. (1982). Mineralogische Tabellen, Akademie Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 560pp
Strunz, H. and Nickel, E. H. (2001). Strunz Mineralogical Tables, 9th edn. Schweizerbart, Stuttgart, 870pp
Crystal Structure Database (B. Downs and P. Heese). Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, DC. 〈http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/Crystal_Database.html〉
GEOLIB (L. B. Jorgensen, GeoSystems). All minerals approved by the IMA, as well as some that have not been approved yet. 〈http://www.geosystems.no/〉
MDAT (A. R. Hölzel), Systematik in der Mineralogie, Ober-Olm, Germany: >3500 minerals, no unnamed minerals. 〈http://www.esm-software.com/mdat/〉
Mineral (E. H. Nickel & M. C. Nichols), Aleph Enterprises, Livermore, CA, USA: >4000 minerals and 550 unnamed minerals. 〈http://www.alephent.com/〉
MinIdent (D. G. W. Smith & D. P. Leibowitz), Micronex Scientific Ltd, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6H 5V5. >4000 minerals and 800 unnamed minerals. 〈http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/micronex/prod03.htm〉
ICDD, Crystal Data Identification File, International Center for Diffraction Data, Newtown Square, PA, USA: >182, 500 entries. 〈http://www.icdd.com/〉
ICSD, Inorganic Crystal Structure Database, FIZ Karlsruhe, Germany: complete structural information for inorganic compounds, including minerals, > 53 000 entries. 〈http://www.fiz-informationsdienste.de/en/DB/icsd/〉
Anthony, J. W., Bideaux, R. A., Bladh, K. W. and Nichols, M. C. (1990–2000). Handbook of Mineralogy, vols. 1–4. Mineral Data Publ., Tucson, AZ
Blackburn, W. H. and Dennen, W. H. (1997). Encyclopedia of Mineral Names. The Canadian Mineralogist, Special Publication no. 1, 360pp
Bragg, W. L. and Claringbull, G. F. (1965). Crystal Structure of Minerals. Bell and Sons, London, 409pp
Clark, A. (1993). M. Hey's Mineral Index, 3rd edn. Chapman & Hall, London
Deer, W. A., Zussman, J. and Howie, R. A. (1992). An Introduction to the Rock-forming Minerals. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 720pp
Feklichev V. G. (1992). Diagnostic Constants of Minerals, Mir Publ., Moscow (in Russian); CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 688pp. (in English)
Frye, K. (ed.) (1981). The Encyclopedia of Mineralogy, Hutchinson Ross, Stroudsburg, PA, 794pp
Lima-de-Faria J. (1994). Structural Mineralogy: An Introduction. Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht and Boston, 346ppCrossRef
Mandarino, J. A. (1999) Fleischer's Glossary of Mineral Species. The Mineralogical Record Inc., Tuscon, AZ, 225pp
Mitchell, R. S. (1979). Mineral Names: What Do They Mean? Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 229pp
Nickel E. and Nichols M. C. (1991). Mineral Reference Manual, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 250pp
Palache, C., Berman, H. and Frondel, C. (1966). The System of Mineralogy of J. D. Dana and E. S. Dana, 3 vols. Wiley, New York
Povarennykh, A. S. (1966). Crystal Chemical Classification of Minerals. Naukova Dumka Press, Kiev (in Russian); Plenum Press, New York and London (1972), 2 vols., 766pp. (in English)
Ramdohr, P. (1969). The Ore Minerals and their Intergrowths, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1174pp
Roberts, W. L., Campbell, T. J. and Rapp, G. R. (1990). Encyclopedia of Minerals, 2nd edn. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 979pp
Strubel, G. and Zimmer, S. H. (1982). Lexikon der Mineralogie, Ferdinand Enke Verlag, Stuttgart
Strunz, H. (1982). Mineralogische Tabellen, Akademie Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 560pp
Strunz, H. and Nickel, E. H. (2001). Strunz Mineralogical Tables, 9th edn. Schweizerbart, Stuttgart, 870pp
Crystal Structure Database (B. Downs and P. Heese). Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, DC. 〈http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/Crystal_Database.html〉
GEOLIB (L. B. Jorgensen, GeoSystems). All minerals approved by the IMA, as well as some that have not been approved yet. 〈http://www.geosystems.no/〉
MDAT (A. R. Hölzel), Systematik in der Mineralogie, Ober-Olm, Germany: >3500 minerals, no unnamed minerals. 〈http://www.esm-software.com/mdat/〉
Mineral (E. H. Nickel & M. C. Nichols), Aleph Enterprises, Livermore, CA, USA: >4000 minerals and 550 unnamed minerals. 〈http://www.alephent.com/〉
MinIdent (D. G. W. Smith & D. P. Leibowitz), Micronex Scientific Ltd, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6H 5V5. >4000 minerals and 800 unnamed minerals. 〈http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/micronex/prod03.htm〉
ICDD, Crystal Data Identification File, International Center for Diffraction Data, Newtown Square, PA, USA: >182, 500 entries. 〈http://www.icdd.com/〉
ICSD, Inorganic Crystal Structure Database, FIZ Karlsruhe, Germany: complete structural information for inorganic compounds, including minerals, > 53 000 entries. 〈http://www.fiz-informationsdienste.de/en/DB/icsd/〉

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×