carnelian

en-noun

carnelian (countable and uncountable, plural carnelians)

From cornelian, the red form named carneolus under the influence of Latin carneus (“fleshy”) because of its color.

1952, You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, carnelian, topaz, and jasper, chrysolite, beryl, and onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and wrought in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared., Ezekiel 28:13 RSV:

(mineralogy) A hard, reddish brown chalcedony used in jewelry.


rhodochrosite

rhodochrosite (countable and uncountable, plural rhodochrosites)

From Ancient Greek ῥοδόχρως (rhodókhrōs, “having rosy colour”), from ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”) + χρώς (khrṓs, “colour”).

uder

(mineralogy) A crystalline mineral composed mainly of manganese carbonate MnCO₃.


sal ammoniac

From Middle English sal armenak, sal armoniac, salarmoniac, sal armoniacum, sal armoniak, sal armonyak, salarmonyak, salle armonyacke, salt armoniake, salt armonyac, from Latin sal ammōniacus, sal armōniacus (“salt of Amun, ammonium chloride”), named so because it was found near the temple of (Jupiter) Ammon in Egypt. Ammon derives from Ancient Greek Ἄμμων (Ámmōn), from Egyptian jmn. Doublet of salmiac.

salammoniac (alternative)
sal-ammoniac (alternative)

(mineralogy) a rare mineral composed of ammonium chloride found around volcanic fumaroles and guano deposits.


rhodonite

en-noun

rhodonite (countable and uncountable, plural rhodonites)

From Ancient Greek ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”) + -ite.

Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

2012 March 5, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128:

(mineralogy) A manganese inosilicate mineral with some substitution by iron and magnesium, of composition (Mn²⁺,Fe,Mg,Ca)SiO₃.

rhodium

etymologically related [via color] but not chemically related


romanechite

Named after its discovery locality: Romaneche, Saône-et-Loir, France.
Romanech- + -ite

(mineralogy) a mixed oxide mineral of manganese and barium which is an ore of manganese


nahcolite

nahcolite (countable and uncountable, plural nahcolites)

From its chemical formula NaHCO₃, named in 1929.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of sodium bicarbonate.


anhydrite

anhydrite (countable and uncountable, plural anhydrites)

(mineralogy) An evaporite mineral made of anhydrous calcium sulfate.


antarctictite

(mineralogy) An evaporite consisting of calcium chloride, CaCl.6H₂O, found in Victoria Land, Antarctica.


aphthitalite

aphthitalite (usually uncountable, plural aphthitalites)

From Ancient Greek ἄφθιτος (áphthitos, “imperishable”) (though the intended meaning is “unalterable”) + ἅλς (háls, “salt”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) An evaporite consisting of mixed potassium and sodium sulphates; also found in the fumaroles of volcanos.


aragonite

en-noun

aragonite (countable and uncountable, plural aragonites)

From Aragon + -ite, after the province in Spain, named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1790.

The basic chemical material of molluscan shells is calcium carbonate, which forms the outer layer of calcite, and the inner layer of aragonite, which is a heavier and harder substance although it has the same chemical composition.

1955, Rachel Carson, The Edge of the Sea, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Appendix, p. 268:

(mineralogy) An evaporite consisting of anhydrous calcium carbonate with the chemical formula CaCO₃ and occurring in pearls, shells and nacre; it is dimorphous with calcite.


astrakanite

(mineralogy) An evaporite consisting of a mixed sodium and magnesium sulphate.


blödite

An eponym from Carl August Blöde (German chemist, 1773–1820), therefore Blöde + -ite (“rock, mineral”).

(mineralogy) An evaporite consisting of a mixed sodium and magnesium sulphate, with the chemical formula Na₂Mg(SO₄)₂·4H₂O.


bassanite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of calcium sulfate, found at Vesuvius.


bischofite

bischofite (countable and uncountable, plural bischofites)

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of magnesium chloride with the chemical formula MgCl₂·6H₂O, found with potash deposits in Saxony.


burkeite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium sulphate with the chemical formula Na₆(CO₃)(SO₄)₂, found at Searles Lake, California.


carnalite

carnalite (countable and uncountable, plural carnalites)

(mineralogy) An evaporite consisting of a mixed potassium and magnesium chloride; sometimes used as a flux in steelmaking.


dolomite

dolomite (countable and uncountable, plural dolomites)

From French dolomite, coined March 1792 by Nicolas de Saussure, named after French mineralogist and engineer Déodat de Dolomieu (1750–1801) who described the stone in 1791 by adding -ite, from place name Dolomieu, Isère.

named-after

(mineralogy) An evaporite consisting of a mixed calcium and magnesium carbonate, with the chemical formula CaMg(CO₃)₂; it also exists as the rock dolostone.


epsomite

en-noun

epsomite (countable and uncountable, plural epsomites)

From Epsom + -ite, named after the place Epsom in England in 1824.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of magnesium sulphate, also found in fumaroles, with the chemical formula MgSO₄·7H₂O.


gaylussite

From Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed sodium and calcium carbonate, with the chemical formula Na₂Ca(CO₃)₂·5H₂O.


glaserite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of potassium sulphate.


glauberite

Named after Johann Rudolf Glauber (1604-68), + -ite.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed sodium and calcium sulphate, with the chemical formula Na₂Ca(SO₄)₂.


hexahydrite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of magnesium sulphate hexahydrate.


ikaite

Named after Ikka Fjord (formerly spelled Ika) a small fjord in southwestern Greenland.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of hydrated calcium carbonate with the chemical formula CaCO₃·6H₂O, found in cold marine waters.


kainite

kainite (countable and uncountable, plural kainites)

Borrowed from German Kainit; see there for more.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of magnesium sulphate and potassium chloride with the chemical formula MgSO₄·KCl·3H₂O, found in German salt mines.


kieserite

kieserite (countable and uncountable, plural kieserites)

From Kieser + -ite. After the German D. G. Kieser (1779-1862) in 1860.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of hydrated magnesium sulphate


langbeinite

langbeinite (countable and uncountable, plural langbeinites)

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed potassium and magnesium sulphate, with the chemical formula K₂Mg₂(SO₄)₃.


leonhardite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a calcium aluminosilicate


leonite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed potassium and magnesium sulphate, with the chemical formula (K₂SO₄)(MgSO₄)


loewite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed sodium and magnesium sulphate


mirabilite

From Latin mīrābilis (“miraculous”) + -ite. From the Latin term sal mirabilis (“wonderful salt”), which was used by German-Dutch alchemist Johann Rudolph Glauber (1604–1670) after he inadvertently synthesised the substance.

Mounds of mirabilite have been observed near the north-west side of White Island, (e.g., Debenham 1965). These mirabilites probably originated by infiltration of sea water into the ice shelf, followed by ablation of the surface until the brines were exposed to evaporation and freeze concentration with precipitation of mirabilite on the surface.

1975, M. K. Stewart, “Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Studies on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica”, in New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, Volume 18, Number 1, page 61:

Bedded deposits of mirabilite occur in coastal areas of East Antarctica, such as the Vestfold Hills and in the Skarvsnes area of Lutzow-Holm Bay, about 1500 km further west (Fig 1.3).

1987, I. B. Campbell, G. G. C. Claridge, Antarctica: Soils, Weathering Processes and Environment, Elsevier, page 253:

Mirabilite could have been and probably was scooped up off the cave floor and out of breakdown hollows, or brushed off ceilings and walls where it forms abundantly.

2002, George M. Crothers, Charles H. Faulkner, Jan F. Simek, Patty Jo Watson, P. Willey, “23: Woodland Cave Archaeology in Eastern North America”, in David G. Anderson, Robert C. Mainfort, editors, The Woodland Southeast, University of Alabama Press, page 512:

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of sodium sulfate, with the chemical formula Na₂SO₄·10H₂O.

芒硝

saline evaporite consisting of sodium sulfate


pentahydrite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of magnesium sulphate pentahydrate, with the chemical formula MgSO₄·5H₂O.


picromerite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed potassium and magnesium sulphate, with the chemical formula K₂Mg(SO₄)₂·6(H₂O).


pirssonite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed sodium and calcium carbonate


rinneite

Named after German crystallographer and petrographer Freidrich Wilhelm Berthold Rinne (1863-1933) in 1909.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of mixed potassium, sodium and ferrous chloride, K₃NaFe²⁺Cl₆.


sanderite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of hydrated magnesium sulphate, MgSO₄·H₂O.


schoenite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed potassium and magnesium sulphate, of the chemical formula K₂Mg(SO₄)₂·6(H₂O).


shortite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed sodium and calcium carbonate, with the chemical formula Na₂Ca₂(CO₃)₃.


sylvite

sylvite (countable and uncountable, plural sylvites)

After the surname of Dutch scientist Franciscus Sylvius + -ite.

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of potassium chloride KCl, also found in fumaroles.


syngenite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed potassium and calcium sulphate


tachyhydrite

tachyhydrite (countable and uncountable, plural tachyhydrites)

From Ancient Greek ταχύς (takhús, “quick”) + ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”).

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of a mixed calcium and magnesium chloride, with the chemical formula CaMg₂Cl₆·12H₂O.


thermonatrite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of sodium carbonate, with the chemical formula Na₂CO₃·H₂O.


thernadite

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of sodium sulphate


trona

From Swedish trona or from Spanish trona, both derived from Arabic أَطْرُون (ʔaṭrūn), from نَطْرُون (naṭrūn), from Ancient Greek νίτρον (nítron), ultimately from Egyptian nṯrj: R9. Doublet of natron and niter.

der

Arabic أَطْرُون (ʔaṭrūn)

(mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, Na₃HCO₃CO₃·2H₂O.


scheelite

en-noun

scheelite (countable and uncountable, plural scheelites)

Named after the Swedish chemist Karl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786).

Coordinate term: wolframite

(mineralogy) A mineral composed of calcium tungstate, with the chemical formula CaWO₄; it is one of the principal ores for tungsten.


carnallite

carnallite (countable and uncountable, plural carnallites)

Named after the mineralogist Von Carnall (1804-74), + -ite.

(mineralogy) An evaporite composed of a mixture of potassium chloride and magnesium chloride, with the chemical formula KMgCl₃·6H₂O.


sepiolite

sepiolite (countable and uncountable, plural sepiolites)

From Latin sepia (“cuttlefish”) + -lite, from its resemblance to cuttlebone.

(mineralogy) A hydrated magnesium silicate, clay mineral used for carving into decorative articles and smoking pipes.

merenvaha

a clay mineral, the formal name of meerschaum


siderite

siderite (countable and uncountable, plural siderites)

From Ancient Greek σιδηρίτης (sidērítēs, “made of iron”), from Ancient Greek σίδηρος (sídēros, “iron”), or from Latin sideritis (“lodestone”), from Ancient Greek σιδηρῖτις (sidērîtis, “loadstone”). By surface analysis, sider- + -ite.

uder

(uncountable, mineralogy) a widespread brown mineral, FeCO₃, having the structure of calcite.


sillimanite

en-noun

sillimanite (countable and uncountable, plural sillimanites)

From Silliman + -ite. Named after American chemist and geologist Benjamin Silliman (1779-1864) in 1824.

(mineralogy) A fibrous neosilicate mineral, polymorphic with andalusite and kyanite, with the chemical formula Al₂SiO₅.


skutterudite

skutterudite (countable and uncountable, plural skutterudites)

From Skutterud + -ite, after the old spelling of the town of Skotterud in Norway.

(mineralogy) Any of a class of mixed cobalt and nickel arsenide and sulfide minerals.


smithsonite

smithsonite (countable and uncountable, plural smithsonites)

Named after James Smithson (1754-1829) in 1832.

(mineralogy) A mineral form of zinc carbonate, ZnCO₃, mined as an ore of zinc or as an ornamental stone.


soapstone

soapstone (countable and uncountable, plural soapstones)

From soap + stone; so called because the archetypal varieties of the stone resemble soap in multiple ways: their feel, appearance, and carvability. First use appears c. 1681, in the writings of Nehemiah Grew.

steatite

often synonymous; more information at soapstone § Terminology


aplome

From French aplome, from Ancient Greek ἁπλόος (haplóos, “single, simple”). Coined by French priest and mineralogist René Just Haüy in 1801.

coin

Aplome (properly haplome) has its dodecahedral faces striated parallel to the shorter diagonal, whence Haüy inferred that the fundamental form was the cube; and as this form is simpler than the dodecahedron, he gave it a name derived from ἁπλόος, simple. Color of the original aplome (of unknown locality) dark brown; also found yellowish green and brownish green at Schwarzenberg in Saxony, and on the Lena in Siberia.

1912, Edward Salisbury Dana, A Text-book of Mineralogy with an Extended Treatise on Crystallography and Physical Mineralogy, New York: John Wiley & Sons, E.2.(b), page 417:

(mineralogy) A brown or green variety of andradite containing manganese.


carbonation

en-noun

carbonation (countable and uncountable, plural carbonations)

(mineralogy) The replacement of calcium hydroxide with calcium carbonate triggered by a chemical reaction.


sphalerite

From Ancient Greek σφαλερός (sphalerós, “unstable, unsteady, precarious”) + -ite; named in 1847.

suffix

The Monte Cristo and Philadelphia sphalerites have similar mean Pb concentrations (80 ppm) that are lower than the Lucky Dog sphalerites (119 ppm).

2009 February 6, Jamie J. Wilkinson et al., “Anomalously Metal-Rich Fluids Form Hydrothermal Ore Deposits”, in Science, volume 323, number 5915, →DOI, pages 764–767:

(mineralogy) A yellow, brown or black, sometimes red, green white or colorless mineral with cubic crystals, of a chemical formula (Zn,Fe)S, often containing also minor metals, such as cadmium, gallium, germanium and indium.


vicinal

(mineralogy) Describing subordinate planes on a crystal, which are very near to the fundamental planes in angles, and sometimes take their place.


calamine

en-noun

calamine (usually uncountable, plural calamines)

From French calamine, from Medieval Latin calamīna, from Latin cadmīa, ultimately from Ancient Greek Κᾰδμείᾱ (Kădmeíā), from Κάδμος (Kádmos, “Cadmus”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming related substances”). Doublet of cadmia, calaminaris, and lapis calaminaris.

doublet

(mineralogy) Synonym of hemimorphite, an orthorhombic-pyramidal mineral containing zinc.


spodumene

en-noun

spodumene (countable and uncountable, plural spodumenes)

From Ancient Greek σποδούμενος (spodoúmenos, “burnt to ashes”).

der

The individual characters of the several minerals produced from the change of the spodumene have already been given, and something has been said as to their mutual relations;[…].

1880, George J. Brush, Edward S. Dana, Art. XXIX.—On the Mineral Locality At Branchville, Connecticut: Fourth Paper. Spodumene and the results of its Alteration: The American Journal of Science, 3rd Series, Vol XX, Nos 115—120, page 276:

Two coexisting spodumenes occurred in sample A, one with high, the other with low, sodium content.

1990, Australian Mineralogist, Volume 5, page 21:

Spodumene alone was found to be too refractory to produce vitrification at cone 11.

2000, Mimi Obstler, Out of the Earth, Into the Fire, American Ceramic Society, page 59:

(mineralogy) The mineral lithium aluminium inosilicate (LiAl(SiO₃)₂), a pyroxene and ore of lithium, sometimes regarded as a gemstone, which may be greenish, yellowish or pinkish in appearance.

spodumeeni

pyroxene mineral, lithium aluminum inosilicate


stishovite

en-noun

stishovite (usually uncountable, plural stishovites)

Named after Russian physicist Sergey Stishov + -ite.

named-after

(mineralogy) A fine-grained mineral, of SiO₂, that is a polymorphic form of quartz formed under very high pressure.


strontianite

en-noun

strontianite (usually uncountable, plural strontianites)

From Strontian (“a place in Scotland where it was discovered”) + -ite. Coined by Scottish chemist Thomas Charles Hope in 1791.

coin

(mineralogy) A grey or yellowish mineral, SrCO₃, strontium carbonate, that is an ore of strontium.


tetrahedrite

en-noun

tetrahedrite (countable and uncountable, plural tetrahedrites)

Named for its tetrahedral crystals in 1845.

(mineralogy) A complex ore of copper, a mixed sulfide of copper, iron, zinc, silver and antimony.


nephrite

nephrite (countable and uncountable, plural nephrites)

From Latin lapis nephriticus, via Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos) νεφριτικός (nephritikós), meaning kidney stone, because jade was believed to have cured kidney stones.

(mineralogy) A semi-precious stone, one of the two types of stone commonly referred to as jade (the other being jadeite).


thorianite

thorianite (countable and uncountable, plural thorianites)

(mineralogy) A radioactive mineral containing thorium dioxide (ThO₂) plus oxides of uranium, lanthanum, cerium neodymium and praseodymium in smaller quantities.


thorite

thorite (countable and uncountable, plural thorites)

(mineralogy) A radioactive mineral, composed mostly of thorium silicate (ThSiO₄), along with silicates of uranium and the rare earths.


titanite

titanite (countable and uncountable, plural titanites)

(mineralogy) A mixed calcium and titanium neosilicate, CaTiSiO₅, once known as sphene.


sphene

sphene (countable and uncountable, plural sphenes)

From French sphène, coined by René Just Haüy in 1801, Traité de minéralogie vol. 3 p. 114, after Ancient Greek σφήν (sphḗn, “wedge”).


todorokite

From Japanese 轟 (todoroki, “boom, rumble; sound of thunder”) + -ite, after Todoroki Mine (轟鉱山) in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido where it was discovered.

bor

(mineralogy) A manganese oxide mineral, also containing calcium, barium, potassium, sodium, and sometimes magnesium that is a major constituent of manganese nodules


chalchihuitl

en-noun

chalchihuitl (countable and uncountable, plural chalchihuitls)

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl chalchihuitl.

But such a determinate value is attached to buckskin, eagle and wild turkey feathers, pelts of the Rocky Mountain lion, chalchihuitl, abalone, olivette shells (unpierced), the perforated sea-shell beads, silver necklaces, and other ornaments[…]

1974, Theodore R. Frisbie, quoting John G. Bourke, “Hishi as Money in the Puebloan Southwest”, in The Snake-dance of the Moquis of Arizona, 1884, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 254, in reference to the Hopi, quoted in Collected Papers in Honor of Florence Hawley Ellis, Norman: Hooper Publishing Company, published 1975, page 125:


yellow cake

yellow cake (countable and uncountable, plural yellow cakes)

(mineralogy) Alternative form of yellowcake


travertine

travertine (countable and uncountable, plural travertines)

From Italian travertino, earlier tivertino, from Latin tīburtīnus (“Tiburtine”).

[...] imitation travertine, resembling marble, has been used to cover the station exterior, [...].

1941 January, “Notes and News: The Hitler Station in Rome”, in Railway Magazine, page 33:

Halder stopped outside a seven-storey building sheathed in pale travertine marble.

2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 191:

(mineralogy) A light, porous form of concretionary limestone (or calcite) deposited from solution, and sometimes quarried for building.

տրավերտին

form of concretionary limestone or calcite


tremolite

tremolite (countable and uncountable, plural tremolites)

From Tremola San Gottardo in Switzerland, where found, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A pale grey/green amphibole mineral, a type of asbestos, that is a mixed calcium and magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula Ca₂Mg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂; sometimes used in place of common asbestos.


uraninite

(mineralogy) Any of several brownish-black forms of uranium dioxide, UO₂, (especially pitchblende) that is the chief ore of uranium; it is isomorphous with thorianite.


vesuvianite

vesuvianite (countable and uncountable, plural vesuvianites)

(mineralogy) A yellow, green or brown mineral, a mixed calcium, magnesium and aluminium silicate sometimes used as a gemstone.


greigite

From Joseph W. Greig, American mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A magnetic form of iron sulfide, Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₂S₄, analogous to magnetite, produced by microorganisms and found in lake sediments; Note: half the iron ions are ferrous and half ferric.


alunite

alunite (countable and uncountable, plural alunites)

From its earlier name aluminilite, given in 1824.

(mineralogy) A gray whitish, water-soluble mineral, potassium aluminium sulphate; the natural source of alum, KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆.


potassium feldspar

potassium feldspar (plural potassium feldspars)

potassium aluminium silicate
potassium aluminium silicate

(mineralogy) Any of several alkaline feldspars containing potassium aluminium silicate, KAlSi₃O₈


wavellite

wavellite (countable and uncountable, plural wavellites)

Named after British naturalist Dr. William Wavell (1750–1829), who discovered the mineral, + -ite.

named-after

(mineralogy) A hydrated aluminium phosphate, Al₃(PO₄)₂(OH,F)₃·5H₂O, sometimes mined as a source of phosphorus.


willemite

en-noun

willemite (countable and uncountable, plural willemites)

willemites (plural)
villemite (alternative)

In honour of Willem I, king of the Netherlands, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, anhydrous zinc silicate, Zn₂SiO₄, that is a minor ore of zinc.


witherite

witherite (countable and uncountable, plural witherites)

After the English physician and mineralogist William Withering (1741-1799) in 1790.

(mineralogy) A yellow-grey mineral form of barium carbonate, BaCO₃


wollastonite

wollastonite (countable and uncountable, plural wollastonites)

From Wollaston + -ite, after William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist.

(mineralogy) A grey inosilicate mineral, mostly calcium silicate, CaSiO₃, found deposited in limestone.


wulfenite

wulfenite (countable and uncountable, plural wulfenites)

From Wulfen + -ite, for Austrian mineralogist Franz Xavier von Wulfen (1728-1805), named in 1841.

(mineralogy) An orange mineral, lead molybdate, PbMoO₄, found in lead veins.


wurtzite

wurtzite (countable and uncountable, plural wurtzites)

From Wurtz + -ite, for Charles-Adolphe Wurtz, French chemist.

(mineralogy) A dark brown zinc iron sulfide mineral ((Zn,Fe)S), a form of sphalerite.


fiorite

(mineralogy) A variety of opal occurring in the cavities of volcanic tuff, having a pearly lustre and forming botryoidal masses.


acanthite

Named in 1855, from Ancient Greek ἄκανθα (ákantha, “thorn”) + -ite, because of the crystal shapes.

(mineralogy) A mineral form of silver sulfide, Ag₂S, that is a major ore of silver, that forms slender prisms.


opaline

opaline (countable and uncountable, plural opalines)

(mineralogy) Any of several minerals resembling opal, including a variety of yellow chalcedony.


micromorphology

(biology, mineralogy, soil science) The fine-level structures or morphology of an organism, mineral, or soil component visible through microscopy.


macromorphology

(biology, mineralogy, soil science) The gross structures or morphology of an organism, mineral, or soil component visible with the unaided eye or at very low levels of magnification.


amblygonite

amblygonite (countable and uncountable, plural amblygonites)

From Ancient Greek ἀμβλύς (amblús, “blunt, dull”) + γωνία (gōnía, “angle, corner”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) A mineral, a mixed fluoride and aluminophosphate of sodium and lithium that is an important ore of lithium.

amblygoniitti

a mineral that is an important ore of lithium


analcime

en-noun

analcime (countable and uncountable, plural analcimes)

Named in 1801 after the property of attaining weak electricity when heated or subjected to friction; from the Ancient Greek ἀνάλκιμος (análkimos, “weak”).

derived

(mineralogy) A sodium aluminosilicate with a chemical formula NaAlSi₂O₆·H₂O, having a zeolite structure, found in alkaline basalts.


analcite

en-noun

analcite (countable and uncountable, plural analcites)


andalusite

andalusite (countable and uncountable, plural andalusites)

From Andalusia + -ite, after the erroneous belief that it was from Andalusia.

(mineralogy) An aluminium nesosilicate mineral, Al₂SiO₅, which can be cut into a gem and displays strong pleochroism, shifting between red, green, and yellow.


anglesite

anglesite (countable and uncountable, plural anglesites)

After the place Anglesey in Wales, in 1832.

A curious form of anglesite was noticed in a specimen from Durango, Iowa

1862, Sir Edward Cadogan, Before the Deluge: Memories and Reflections:

(mineralogy) A crystalline mineral form of lead sulfate, PbSO₄, formed by the weathering of galena.


ankerite

After the Austrian mineralogist Matthias Joseph Anker (1771-1843) in 1825 + -ite.

In this second excavation the red ore is more largely mixed with the micaceous specular variety, and also includes large rounded blocks of ankerite and angular fragments of rock.

1855, John William Dawson, Acadian geology:

(mineralogy) Any of a group of mixed carbonate minerals, principally of calcium with iron, magnesium and manganese.

ankeriitti

any of a group of mixed carbonate minerals


anorthoclase

anorthoclase (countable and uncountable, plural anorthoclases)

(mineralogy) Any of a group of feldspars being mixed sodium and potassium aluminosilicates.


anthophyllite

anthophyllite (countable and uncountable, plural anthophyllites)

Anthophyllite is of a brownish colour, and glistening, pearly, pseudo-metallic lustre; it occurs massive, the mass consisting of crystals or crystalline fibres often disposed in a radiating form.

1823, William Phillips, An Elementary Introduction to the Knowledge of Mineralogy:

(mineralogy) A dark brown amphibole mineral; a mixed silicate of iron and magnesium.


apophyllite

(mineralogy) Any of several forms of a pale pink or green mineral being a mixed fluoride and silicate of potassium and calcium.


arsenopyrite

arsenopyrite (countable and uncountable, plural arsenopyrites)

(mineralogy) A silvery-grey ore of arsenic, a mixed arsenide and sulfide of iron, FeAsS.


brookite

brookite (countable and uncountable, plural brookites)

From Brooke + -ite, named in 1825 for English crystallographer Henry James Brooke.

(mineralogy) A dark brown mineral form of titanium dioxide, with the chemical formula TiO₂.


ilmenite

ilmenite (countable and uncountable, plural ilmenites)

Named after Ilmen Mountains in Russia + -ite in 1827.

The basalt of Goose Island of the Ice Harbor Member is unique for the occurrence of microphenocrysts of ilmenite and titanmagnetite.

1983, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, page 9:

(mineralogy) A weakly magnetic dark gray mineral found in metamorphic and igneous rocks; it is a mixed oxide of iron and titanium, FeTiO₃


biopyribole

(mineralogy) Any of the rock-forming minerals pyroxene, amphibole, and mica.

biopyriboli

any of the rock-forming minerals pyroxene, amphibole, and mica


biotite

biotite (countable and uncountable, plural biotites)

From Biot + -ite, named by J.F.L. Hausmann in 1847 in honour of the French physicist Jean-Baptiste Biot, who, in 1816, researched the optical properties of mica, discovering many unique properties.

(mineralogy) A dark brown mica; it is a mixed aluminosilicate and fluoride of potassium, magnesium and iron.

Jean-Baptiste Biot
Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann
biotite


vanadian

(mineralogy) Containing pentavalent vanadium.


vanadinite

vanadinite (countable and uncountable, plural vanadinites)

(mineralogy) A reddish mineral, a mixed chloride and vanadate of lead with the chemical formula Pb₅(VO₄)₃Cl, that is commercial source of vanadium.


glaucophane

glaucophane (countable and uncountable, plural glaucophanes)

(mineralogy) A blue amphibole mineral, a mixed aluminate of sodium, magnesium and aluminium that exhibits pleochroism, with the chemical formula Na₂(Mg,Fe²⁺)₃Al₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂.


boracite

(mineralogy) A mixed chloride and borate of magnesium that occurs as a white to green crystalline evaporite, with the chemical formula Mg₃B₇O₁₃Cl.


bornite

From Born + -ite, named after Austrian mineralogist Ignaz von Born.

(mineralogy) A reddish mineral that tarnishes on exposure to air; it is a mixed sulfide of iron and copper with the chemical formula Cu₅FeS and is an important ore of copper.


brucite

From Bruce + -ite, after its discoverer, American mineralogist Archibald Bruce (1777–1818).

magnesium hydroxide
magnesium hydroxide#English

(mineralogy) A mineral form of magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)₂, often found in thin foliated plates, but may be fibrous (see nemalite), of a white or greenish color and vitreous to pearly luster.


caliche

caliche (countable and uncountable, plural caliches)

From Spanish caliche, from Latin calx (“pebble”); compare chalk.

(mineralogy) A crude form of sodium nitrate from South America; used as a fertilizer.


cancrinite

(mineralogy) Any of a family of feldspathoid minerals that are mixed carbonates and aluminosilicates of sodium and calcium.


carnotite

carnotite (countable and uncountable, plural carnotites)

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral that is a potassium uranyl vanadate that is a major ore of uranium, with the chemical formula K₂(UO₂)₂(VO₄)₂·3H₂O.


cassiterite

cassiterite (countable and uncountable, plural cassiterites)

From Ancient Greek κασσίτερος (kassíteros, “tin”).

der

In general, the hydroxamates are used for flotation of oxidic minerals (pyrochlore, cassiterite and ilmenite), rare-earth oxides and oxide copper minerals.

2007, Srdjan M. Bulatovic, Handbook of Flotation Reagents: Chemistry, Theory and Practice, →ISBN, page 13:

(mineralogy) A generally black mineral, composed of tin oxide, SnO₂, which is an important ore of tin.


cerargyrite

en-noun

cerargyrite (usually uncountable, plural cerargyrites)

(mineralogy) A mineral form of silver chloride, AgCl, that is a rare ore of silver; horn silver.


cerussite

cerussite (countable and uncountable, plural cerussites)

From Latin cērussa (“white lead”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral form of lead carbonate, PbCO₃, that is an ore of lead.


emarginate

en-adj

emarginate (comparative more emarginate, superlative most emarginate)

more emarginate (comparative)
most emarginate (superlative)

From Latin emarginare; e- (“out”) + marginare (“to furnish with a margin”), from margo (“margin”).

(mineralogy) Of a crystal: having edges or corners of the primitive form beveled, crossed by a face.


chabazite

From French chabasie, coined by Louis-Augustin Bosc d'Antic from Ancient Greek χαβάζιος (khabázios), apparently an error for χαλάζιος (khalázios, “a kind of precious stone”) (which is probably from χάλαζα (khálaza, “hail”), due to looking like a hailstone), one of twenty species of stones mentioned in the poem ascribed to Orpheus. See chalaza and chalazion.

(mineralogy) Any of several zeolite minerals that occur in basaltic rocks.


sarkinite

(mineralogy) A red, crystalline form of manganese arsenate, Mn₂²⁺(AsO₄)(OH); polyarsenite.


prase

en-noun

prase (countable and uncountable, plural prases)

From Latin prasius, from Ancient Greek πράσιος (prásios, “of a green colour”), from Ancient Greek πράσον (práson, “leek”).

der

(mineralogy) A variety of cryptocrystalline of a green colour.

(mineralogy) A variety of chalcedony, with a green color due to inclusions of actinolite or other iron-bearing minerals.


botryoidal

en-adj

botryoidal (comparative more botryoidal, superlative most botryoidal)

more botryoidal (comparative)
most botryoidal (superlative)

The oxyde of cobalt, […] is found either ſuperficial, interſperſed, or in lumps; ſometimes botryoidal or reniform or bearing particular impreſſions.

1799, William Babington, “[Class III. Metals. Order II. Fragile. Genus IV. Cobalt.] Species II. Native Oxyde of Cobalt.”, in A New System of Mineralogy, in the Form of a Catalogue, after the Manner of Baron Born’s Systematic Catalogue of the Collection of Fossils of Mlle. Élénore de Raab, London: […] T[homas] Bensley, […]; and sold by W. Phillips, […]; G. G. and J. Robinsons, […]; and T. Cox, […], →OCLC, page 232:

(chiefly mineralogy) Having the form of a bunch of grapes.


alabandite

en-noun

alabandite (usually uncountable, plural alabandites)

(mineralogy) A mineral form of manganese sulfide, MnS, sometimes found in meteorites


sunstone

sunstone (countable and uncountable, plural sunstones)

sun + stone. Compare Icelandic sólarsteinn.

(mineralogy) A translucent form of feldspar having flakes of hematite, used as an ornamental stone.

κεραύνιος

a translucent form of feldspar with flakes of hematite


vulcanite

vulcanite (countable and uncountable, plural vulcanites)

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, copper telluride.


chalcanthite

chalcanthite (usually uncountable, plural chalcanthites)

[kʰæɫ(l)ˈkʰæn.θʌɪt̚]

[kæwˈkæn.θɒ͡ɪʔ]

[kʰæɫˈkʰɛ͡ən.θʌɪt̚]

From chalcanthum (“flowers of copper”) + -ite, from Ancient Greek χάλκανθον (khálkanthon).

(mineralogy) A mineral form of copper sulfate, CuSO₄.


chalcopyrite

From chalco- (“copper, ore”) + pyrite. Named by Johann Friedrich Henckel 1725.

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral that is a mixed sulfide of copper and iron, with the chemical formula CuFeS₂.


platy

en-adj

platy (comparative platier, superlative platiest)

platier (comparative)
platiest (superlative)

(geology, mineralogy) Composed of thin plate-like pieces of rock or mineral.


chloritoid

en-noun

chloritoid (countable and uncountable, plural chloritoids)

(mineralogy) A mixed iron, magnesium, and manganese silicate mineral of metamorphic origin, with the chemical formula (Fe²⁺,Mg,Mn)₂Al₄Si₂O₁₀(OH)₄.


chromite

chromite (countable and uncountable, plural chromites)

(mineralogy) A dark brown mineral species with the formula FeCr₂O₄.


chrysoberyl

chrysoberyl (countable and uncountable, plural chrysoberyls)

/ˈkɹɪs.əˌbɛɹ.əl/

From Latin chrysoberyllus, from Ancient Greek χρῡσοβήρυλλος (khrūsobḗrullos, “gold beryl”), from χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”) after its color, and βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”), equivalent to chryso- + beryl.

derived

χρῡσοβήρυλλος

Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade.

2012 March 5, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128:

(mineralogy) A vitreous mineral, often pale green, a mixed oxide of aluminium and beryllium with the chemical formula BeAl₂O₄, used as a gemstone.


chrysocolla

en-noun

chrysocolla (countable and uncountable, plural chrysocollas)

/ˌkɹɪs.əʊˈkɒl.ə/

(mineralogy) A vitreous silicate mineral that is a minor ore of copper, with the chemical formula (Cu²⁺,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O.


chrysotile

chrysotile (countable and uncountable, plural chrysotiles)

(mineralogy) A fibrous silicate mineral with the chemical formula Mg₃(Si₂O₅)(OH)₄; a form of serpentine asbestos.


cobaltite

cobaltite (countable and uncountable, plural cobaltites)

(mineralogy) A rare gray mineral, a mixed sulfide and arsenide of cobalt and iron with chemical formula CoAsS; it is an ore of cobalt.


coccolith

From Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos, “kernel”) + -lith.

(mineralogy) Alternative form of coccolite (“diopside”)


coesite

coesite (countable and uncountable, plural coesites)

(mineralogy) A high-pressure polymorph of silica found in extreme conditions such as the impact craters of meteorites, with the chemical composition of silicon dioxide, SiO₂.


colemanite

colemanite (countable and uncountable, plural colemanites)

From Coleman + -ite, named after William Tell Coleman (1824-1893) in 1884.

(mineralogy) A white, grey or colorless mineral form of calcium borate; a principal source of boron.


jadarite

After the Jadar Basin in Serbia, where it was discovered during mineral explorations.

(mineralogy) A mineral, sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide.


columbite

(mineralogy) A black mineral that is a mixed iron and manganese niobate and tantalate, and is the main ore of niobium and tantalum.


chrysolite

chrysolite (countable and uncountable, plural chrysolites)

From Middle English crisolite, from Old French crisolite, from Medieval Latin crisolitus, Latin chrȳsolithus, from Ancient Greek χρῡσόλιθος (khrūsólithos), from χρῡσός (khrūsós, “gold”) + λίθος (líthos, “stone”). By surface analysis, chryso- (“pertaining to gold”) + -lite (“pertaining to rocks, minerals”).

surf

Fran. Rueus[…]say as much of the chrysolite, a friend of wisdome, an enemy to folly.

1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 4, member 1, subsection iii:

And before he died, Taran-Ish had scrawled upon the altar of chrysolite with coarse shaky strokes the sign of DOOM.

1920, H. P. Lovecraft, The Doom that Came to Sarnath:

A piece of marigold or bay leaf was imbedded in the metal, and over it a carbuncle or chrysolite was placed.

1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 155:

(mineralogy) Originally, any of various green-coloured gems; later specifically peridot.


sardius

en-noun

sardius (usually uncountable, plural sardiuses)

The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 21:20:


covellite

covellite (countable and uncountable, plural covellites)

Named after Italian mineralogist Niccolo Covelli (1790–1829) + -ite.

named-after

(mineralogy) A shiny indigo-blue sulfide mineral, CuS, that is an ore of copper.


crocoite

en-noun

crocoite (usually uncountable, plural crocoites)

(mineralogy) A rare red mineral; lead chromate, PbCrO₄.


polyadelphite

(mineralogy) A pale brown andradite garnet


euxenite

euxenite (countable and uncountable, plural euxenites)

From Ancient Greek εὔξενος (eúxenos, “friendly to strangers, hospitable”) + -ite.

uder

(mineralogy) A dark brown lustrous mineral that is a mixed oxide of cerium, erbium, titanium, uranium, yttrium and other more common metals, with the chemical formula (Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)₂O₆.


lepidolite

en-noun

lepidolite (countable and uncountable, plural lepidolites)

From Ancient Greek λεπίς (lepís) + -lite.

(mineralogy) A pale lilac mica mineral that is a mixed basic fluoride and aluminosilicate of potassium, lithium and aluminium.


metamict

(mineralogy, of a radioactive mineral) Having a disrupted crystal structure due to radiation damage; metamictic


metamict

(mineralogy) A mineral with a disrupted crystal structure due to radiation damage.


ferrocolumbite

(mineralogy) A black mineral that is an ore of niobium and tantalum.


perthite

perthite (countable and uncountable, plural perthites)

(mineralogy) A laminated mixture of two feldspars: plagioclase and either orthoclase or microcline.


spessartine

spessartine (countable and uncountable, plural spessartines)

spessartines (plural)
spessartite (alternative)

(mineralogy) A type of garnet, a neosilicate of manganese and aluminium with the chemical formula Mn₃²⁺Al₂(SiO₄)₃.


propylite

propylite (countable and uncountable, plural propylites)

(mineralogy) A form of andesite modified by hydrothermal processes.


salite

Named for type locality Sala, Sweden, + -ite.


kassite

(mineralogy) A rare mineral that is a basic oxide of calcium and titanium, with the chemical formula CaTi₂O₄(OH)₂.


hematite

hematite (usually uncountable, plural hematites)

hematites (plural)
hæmatite (alternative)
haematite (alternative)

From Middle French hematite, from Latin (lapis) haematites, from Ancient Greek αἱματίτης (haimatítēs) λίθος (líthos, “blood-red stone”), from αἷμα (haîma, “blood”). By surface analysis, hemat- + -ite.

Coordinate term: magnetite

(mineralogy) An iron ore, mainly peroxide of iron, Fe₂O₃: iron(III) oxide.


smectite

smectite (countable and uncountable, plural smectites)

From Ancient Greek σμήχω (smḗkhō, “to rub off”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) Any of many clay phyllosilicate minerals that have a relatively open structure.


phyllosilicate

en-noun

phyllosilicate (usually uncountable, plural phyllosilicates)

(mineralogy) Any silicate mineral having a crystal structure of parallel sheets of silicate tetrahedra.


scorza

(mineralogy, obsolete) epidote in the form of sand


candite

From Candy + -ite, from an old name for Kandy, Sri Lanka, where it was found.

(obsolete, mineralogy) ceylonite (dark variety of spinel).


potch

1982, Gemmological Association of Great Britain, The Journal of Gemmology, Volume 18, page 432,
Discusses the difference between potch opal and common opal. The terms are often used synonymously, but this writer shows that potch is found only in association with precious opal and differs from common opal in its structure quite substantially.

She set them down with precision, she set them down with the same kind of care that Bernie took when he and his underlings cut opal, or when they polished the rough stones, or when they bonded opal veneer on to potch.

1996, Janette Turner Hospital, Oyster, paperback edition, Virago Press, page 75:

2006, Michael O'Donoghue, Gems: Their Sources, Descriptions and Identification, 6th Edition, Elsevier, UK, page 321,
Likewise, a thin piece of good opal on potch (opal with no play of colour) may be cut so that the potch acts as a backing.

(chiefly Australia, mineralogy, gemmology) A type of rough opal without colour, and therefore not worth selling.


bertrandite

From Bertrand + -ite, named after French mineralogist Émile Bertrand (1844-1909) in 1883.

(mineralogy) A basic beryllium sorosilicate that is an ore of beryllium.


spinifex

en-adj

spinifex (comparative more spinifex, superlative most spinifex)

more spinifex (comparative)
most spinifex (superlative)

From translingual Spinifex (genus name), from Latin spina (“spine”) + Latin -fex (“maker”) (from Latin facere (“to make”)).

(geology, petrology, mineralogy) Composed of dendritic plates, which present as the scored texture of bundled, spine-like structures typical of komatiites.


leucoxene

en-noun

leucoxene (usually uncountable, plural leucoxenes)

(mineralogy) A mineral, mostly composed of rutile, occurring in igneous rocks, often by alteration of ilmenite or other titanium minerals


gadolinite

gadolinite (countable and uncountable, plural gadolinites)

After the Finnish chemist Johan Gadolin (1760-1852), + -ite.

(mineralogy) A dark, vitreous mineral that is a complex mixture of silicates of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium, beryllium, and iron, with the chemical formula (Ce,La,Nd,Y)₂FeBe₂Si₂O₁₀.


mellite

mellite (countable and uncountable, plural mellites)

From Latin mell-, stem of mel (“honey”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral that is the aluminium salt of mellitic acid; honeystone.


samarskite

samarskite (countable and uncountable, plural samarskites)

After Vasilii Evgrafovich Samarsky-Bykhovets in 1847.

(mineralogy) A shiny black radioactive mineral that contains a complex mixture of rare earth oxides


bastnaesite

bastnaesite (countable and uncountable, plural bastnaesites)

bastnaesites (plural)
bastnasite (alternative)
bastnäsite (alternative)

From Bastnäs + -ite. Named after its type locality, the Bastnäs mine near Riddarhyttan, Västmanland, Sweden.

(mineralogy) A yellow-brown mineral that is a source of several rare earth metals, especially gadolinium, samarium, and neodymium.


xenotite

(mineralogy) A mineral that is a source of rare earth metals.


xenotime

xenotime (countable and uncountable, plural xenotimes)

From Ancient Greek κενός (kenós, “vain”), τιμή (timḗ, “honour”), because the yttrium in the mineral was originally thought to be a new element.

(mineralogy) A yellow-brown mineral, yttrium phosphate (YPO₄)


allanite

(mineralogy) Any of a group of silicate minerals that are a source of rare earth metals.

allaniitti

any of a group of silicate minerals that are a source of rare earth metals


moonstone

moonstone (countable and uncountable, plural moonstones)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-moonstone.wav

To give light to the presence chamber were seven escarbuncles, great as pumpkins, hung in order down the length of it, and nine fair moonstones standing in order on silver pedestals between the pillars on the dais.

1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros, London: Jonathan Cape, page 3:

(mineralogy) A translucent gemstone, an orthoclase feldspar, that has a pearly lustre.


vivianite

vivianite (countable and uncountable, plural vivianites)

Named after its discoverer English mineralogist J. G. Vivian in 1817.

(mineralogy) A blue, green or colourless mineral of monoclinic crystals, Fe₃(PO₄)₂·8H₂O.


antimonite

antimonite (countable and uncountable, plural antimonites)

(mineralogy) A grey mineral, antimony sulfide (Sb₂S₃) that is the main source of antimony; stibnite

antimoniitti

a grey mineral that is the main source of antimony


tellurite

Named in 1849 because of its chemical composition.

(mineralogy) A yellowish mineral, tellurium dioxide (TeO₂).


celestine

celestine (countable and uncountable, plural celestines)

From Italian celestina (“sky-blue”), from Latin caelestīnus, &c.

(mineralogy) A mineral with orthorhombic crystals, SrSO₄, colourless or white with blue and sometimes red shades.


ulexite

Named after the German chemist Georg Ludwig Ulex (1811-1883) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A white mineral with triclinic crystals, NaCaB₅O₉·8H₂O, noted for its fibers which transmit light by internal reflection, such that a piece with flat faces perpendicular to the fibers' orientation displays an image of whatever is adjacent to its other side.


ferropericlase

(mineralogy) Any of a class of minerals, mixed oxides of magnesium and iron, that are abundant in the earth's lower mantle (second only to perovskite)


pseudotachylite

pseudotachylites (plural)
pseudotachylyte (alternative)

(mineralogy) A dark, glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults

pseudotakyliitti

a dark, glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults


maghemite

After the beginnings of magnetite and hematite in 1927, because of magnetism and similar arrangement of elements.

(mineralogy) A magnetic mineral with a grey blue, white, or brown shade.


uranian

(mineralogy) Containing hexavalent uranium.


fayalite

fayalite (countable and uncountable, plural fayalites)

From Fayal (“Faial Island in the Azores”) + -ite. Named in 1840.

suffix

(mineralogy) Yellow, olive green, brown or black mineral with orthorhombic crystals of the olivine group, Fe₂SiO₄.


hawaiite

(mineralogy) A gem variety of olivine peridot.


gibbsite

en-noun

gibbsite (countable and uncountable, plural gibbsites)

From Gibbs + -ite after George Gibbs (1777-1834) in 1822.

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals, usually white but can have different colors, Al(OH)₃.


autunite

autunite (countable and uncountable, plural autunites)

From Autun + -ite, after Autun, France, near which it was discovered in 1852.

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral with tetragonal crystals, Ca(UO₂)₂(PO₄)₂·10-12H₂O.


aerinite

(mineralogy) A blue mineral with monoclinic crystals, Ca₄(Al,Fe³⁺,Mg, Fe²⁺)₁₀Si₁₂O₃₅(OH)₁₂CO₃·12H₂O, made of clay and sometimes used as pigment.


sugilite

After Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi (1901-1948) in 1976.

(mineralogy) A mineral with hexagonal crystals, often pink or purple but can have different colors, KNa₂(Fe²⁺,Mn²⁺,Al)₂Li₃Si₁₂O₃₀.


stichtite

After Robert Sticht (1856-1922), the manager of Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Co. in Australia, in 1910.

(mineralogy) A mineral with rhombohedral crystals, often pink or lilac, Mg₆Cr₂CO₃(OH)₁₆·4H₂O.


oker

oker (countable and uncountable, plural okers)

w:Webster's Dictionary#Webster's New International Dictionary 1909


ozocerite

ozocerite (countable and uncountable, plural ozocerites)

ozocerites (plural)
ozokerite (alternative)
ozokerit (alternative)

(mineralogy) A dark waxy mineral, found associated with petroleum in some sandstones, used to make polishes.


jarosite

jarosite (countable and uncountable, plural jarosites)

After the place Jaroso ravine in Spain, named in 1852.

(mineralogy) A mineral with rhombohedral crystals, KFe₃³⁺(SO₄)₂(OH)₆.


zoisite

Named after Austrian scientist Baron Sigmund Zois von Edelstein (1747-1819) in 1805. + -ite

(mineralogy) A mineral with orthorhombic crystals, Ca₂Al₃(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)O(OH).


zinkenite

zinkenite (usually uncountable, plural zinkenites)

After German mineralogist J. K. L. Zinken (1798-1862), named in 1862.

(mineralogy) A grey mineral with hexagonal crystals, Pb₉Sb₂₂S₄₂.


blende

blende (countable and uncountable, plural blendes)

blendes (plural)
blind (alternative)
blinde (alternative)

From German Blende, from blenden (“deceive”) (because it resembles galena).

The procedure up here with ordinary local zinc blende had been straightforward—first you got the sulfur to go off by roasting the blende to zinc oxide, and then you reduced the oxide to zinc metal.

2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 310:

(mineralogy) sphalerite (a naturally-occurring sulfide of zinc)


zeunerite

After German physicist Gustav Anton Zeuner (1828-1907) in 1872.

(mineralogy) A mineral with tetragonal crystals, of the autunite group, Cu²⁺(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)₂·4H₂O.


polyargyrite

(mineralogy) A black mineral that is a sulfide of antimony and silver


heulandite

heulandite (countable and uncountable, plural heulandites)

From Heuland + -ite after British mineral collector John Henry Heuland (1778-1856).

(mineralogy) A common mineral of the zeolite group with monoclinic crystals, the most usual form being heulandite-Ca (Ca,Na)₂₋₃Al₃(Al,Si)₂Si₁₃O₃₆·12H₂O.


pyribole

(mineralogy) Any mineral of either the pyroxene or amphibole groups.

pireaból

any mineral of either the pyroxene or amphibole groups


quartzine

quartzine (countable and uncountable, plural quartzines)

(mineralogy) A fibrous form of silica similar to chalcedony.


chatoyant

/ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənt/

From French chatoyant, present participle of chatoyer (“to iridesce, like a cat's eye”), from chat (“cat”, because of the reflective qualities of a cat's eye).

(mineralogy) A hard stone, such as the cat's-eye, which presents on a polished surface, and in the interior, an undulating or wavy light.


chassignite

(mineralogy) An achondrite composed mostly of olivine


zirconite

(mineralogy) A light brown variety of zircon.


almandine

almandine (countable and uncountable, plural almandines)

Alteration of earlier alabandine, from Latin alabandina, from Alabanda, a town in Caria, a province of Asia Minor, where the mineral was found.

Almandine, the variety found here, is stable at temperatures of 540 to 900°C at a pressure of 200 GPa.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 164:

(mineralogy) A type of garnet having a deep red color, inclining to purple, with the chemical formula Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃.


trappose

en-adj

trappose (comparative more trappose, superlative most trappose)

more trappose (comparative)
most trappose (superlative)


wadsleyite

en-noun

wadsleyite (usually uncountable, plural wadsleyites)

From Wadsley + -ite, named after geologist Dr. Arthur David Wadsley.

(mineralogy) An orthorhombic form of olivine produced under very high pressure


ringwoodite

(mineralogy) A cubic form of olivine produced under very high pressure, (Mg, Fe²⁺)₂SiO₄.


californite

californite (countable and uncountable, plural californites)

(mineralogy) A green vesuvianite found in California, resembling jade and used as a gemstone.


aegirine

aegirine (countable and uncountable, plural aegirines)

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals with the chemical formula NaFe³⁺(Si₂O₆) belonging to the pyroxene group.


cordierite

cordierite (countable and uncountable, plural cordierites)

(mineralogy) A magnesium iron aluminium cyclosilicate.


nesosilicate

From Ancient Greek νῆσος (nêsos, “island”) + silicate.


actinolite

actinolite (countable and uncountable, plural actinolites)

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals of the chemical formula Ca₂(Mg,Fe)₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂, belonging to the amphibole group.

aktinoliet

mineral with monoclinic crystals belonging to the amphibole group


augelite

augelite (usually uncountable, plural augelites)

From Ancient Greek αὐγή (augḗ, “luster”), named in 1868.

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals of the chemical formula Al₂(PO₄)(OH)₃.


majorite

(mineralogy) A silicate of magnesium, iron and aluminium, found in the upper mantle of the Earth, that stores oxygen when under intense pressure


zinnwaldite

From Zinnwald + -ite, after what is now Cínovec.

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals, KLiFe²⁺Al(AlSi₃)O₁₀(F,OH)₂, of the mica group.


mozarkite

Missouri + Ozarks + -ite (because the Missouri Ozarks were the primary source); appeared in print 1837.

(mineralogy) A particular kind of rock, a form of chert, native to Missouri.


ajoite

Named after the type locality: New Cornelia mine in Ajo, Arizona, USA
Ajo + -ite

(mineralogy) A turquoise mineral with triclinic crystals, (K,Na)Cu₇²⁺AlSi₉O₂₄(OH)₆·3H₂O.


mesolite

mesolite (countable and uncountable, plural mesolites)

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals, Na₂Ca₂Al₆Si₉O₃₀·8H₂O, of the zeolite group.


decrepitation

decrepitation (countable and uncountable, plural decrepitations)

/dɪˌkɹɛpɪˈteɪʃən/

(mineralogy) The shattering of minerals by the action of heat, especially when accompanied by a crackling sound


aluminocopiapite

(mineralogy) A form of copiapite containing varying amounts of aluminium in place of ferric iron.


copiapite

(mineralogy) A basic ferric sulfate mineral found in oxidized iron sulfide deposits, with the chemical formula Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₄(SO₄)₆(OH)₂·20H₂O.


missy

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-missy.wav


smaltite

smaltite (usually uncountable, plural smaltites)

(mineralogy) A variety of skutterudite with the chemical formula (Co,Fe,Ni)As₂, crystallizing in the cubic system.


crocidolite

From Ancient Greek κροκῠ́ς (krokŭ́s, “nap of cloth/wool”) and λίθος (líthos, “stone”), for its appearance.

uder

(mineralogy) A fibrous, blue-green mineral that is a variety of riebeckite and is one of the six types of asbestos.


epigene

(mineralogy) Of or pertaining to the region just below the surface of the earth.


perlite

(mineralogy) An amorphous volcanic glass formed by the hydration of obsidian.


polymignyte

en-noun

polymignyte (countable and uncountable, plural polymignytes)

polymignytes (plural)
polymignite (alternative)

(mineralogy) A mineral consisting of columbate (a compound containing the element niobium) and oxides of the cerium group of elements with iron and calcium.


polylithionite

(mineralogy) A phyllosilicate mineral composed of potassium lithium aluminum silicate fluoride


akageneite

(mineralogy) A hydrated iron oxide related to hematite.


lepidocrocite

lepidocrocite (countable and uncountable, plural lepidocrocites)


ferripyrophyllite

(mineralogy) The ferric iron analogue of pyrophyllite.


glauconite

(mineralogy) A greenish form of mica found in greensand


goethite

goethite (countable and uncountable, plural goethites)

From German Goethit, named for German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; by surface analysis, Goethe + -ite.

Recent work has shown that the teeth of limpets approximate to an almost ideal model natural composite material where high aspect ratio mineral nanofibres of goethite reinforce a protein matrix.

2015 February 18, Asa H. Barber, Dun Lu, Nicola M. Pugno, “Extreme strength observed in limpet teeth”, in Journal of the Royal Society Interface:

(mineralogy) An iron oxyhydroxide that is the main constituent of rust and in mineral form is an ore.

goethita

an iron oxyhydroxide that is the main constituent of rust


greenalite

(mineralogy) A hydrated ferrous silicate related to serpentine.


grunerite

grunerite (countable and uncountable, plural grunerites)

(mineralogy) An iron-rich amphibole related to cummingtonite.


ilvaite

(mineralogy) A black, crystalline sorosilicate of iron and calcium


laihunite

laihunite (countable and uncountable, plural laihunites)

(mineralogy) An iron neosilicate of the olivine group


minnesotaite

minnesotaite (usually uncountable, plural minnesotaites)

(mineralogy) An iron magnesium silicate of the talc group


nontronite

nontronite (countable and uncountable, plural nontronites)

Nontronite, a variety of chloropal occurs as a light yellow powder in druses of the North Conway granite (99, p. 312).

1969, T. R. Meyers, The Geology of New Hampshire: Minerals and mines, page 18:

(mineralogy) An iron-rich clay mineral of the montmorillonite group


orthoferrosilite

(mineralogy) An iron silicate that crystallizes as an orthorhombic pyroxene


orthopyroxene

/ˌɔːθə(ʊ)paɪˈɹɒksiːn/

/ˌɔɹθoʊpaɪˈɹɑksin/

Biotite from lava flows is invariably rimmed or totally replaced by an exceedingly fine-grained, almost isotropic intergrowth of K-feldspar, orthopyroxene, cordierite and ilmenite, probably as a result of dehydration of the magma on eruption. Cordierite and orthopyroxene (5% each) occur as euhedral phenocrysts 1 to 2 mm in diameter, but cordierite can be up to 5 mm across and occur as anhedral ovoids.

1981 November 10, D. Wyborn, B. W. Chappell, R. M. Johnston, “Three S‐Type Volcanic Suites from the Lachlan Fold Belt, Southeast Australia”, in Journal of Geophysical Research, volume 86, number B11, →DOI, →ISSN, page 10337:

The meteorite contains abundant, distinct to poorly defined chondrules (about 40 volume %). They are enclosed in a recrystallised, heavily iron-stained, but coherent matrix of irregular fragments of olivine and orthopyroxene, together with fragmented chrondrules and small grains and interstitial areas of oligoclase.

1998, William D. Birch, “The Broken Hill Meteorite, New South Wales, Australia”, in Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, volume 131, →ISSN, page 96:

However, the relatively low Al₂O₃ content of the co-existing orthopyroxenes (2.2 wt%) is not consistent with an upper mantle origin (Binns et al. 1970) and therefore probably crystallised at crustal pressures.

2011, M. C. Bruce, “Geodiversity of the Southern Barrington Tops Lava Field, New South Wales: A Study in Petrology and Geochemistry”, in M. L. Augee, editor, Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, volume 132, page 59:

(mineralogy) Any pyroxene that forms orthorhombic crystals.


staurolite

From stauro- + -lite, in reference to its frequent cruciform twinning.

(mineralogy) a dark brown nesosilicate mineral that has crystals that cross and intergrow


sublattice

(mineralogy) Any of several independent lattices present in a crystal.


steatite

steatite (countable and uncountable, plural steatites)

From Latin steatītis, from Ancient Greek. By surface analysis, steat- (“fat”) + -ite (“stone”).

surf

Though a certain kind of paper is manufactured from bamboo pulp, the usual material of the books is the palm leaf, while for ordinary notebook purposes a kind of black tablet, called a parabeik, and a steatite pencil are employed.

1876, "Burmah" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IV, p. 556

(mineralogy) soapstone (often synonymous; more information at soapstone § Terminology).


taenite

(mineralogy) A mineral, found in certain meteorites, that is a magnetic alloy of iron and nickel


tetrataenite

(mineralogy) The tetragonal crystalline form of taenite


thuringite

(mineralogy) A hydrous silicate of iron and aluminium occurring as an aggregation of minute olive-green scales


trioctahedral

(mineralogy) Having all three octahedral sites occupied by cations


dioctahedral

(mineralogy) Having two of the octahedral sites occupied by cations


attapulgite

en-noun

attapulgite (countable and uncountable, plural attapulgites)

(mineralogy) A clay mineral containing silicates of aluminium and magnesium that is a constituent of fuller's earth and bentonite.


patronite

patronite (countable and uncountable, plural patronites)

(mineralogy) A black form of vanadium sulfide that is an ore of vanadium


rock salt

rock salt (countable and uncountable, plural rock salts)

rock salts (plural)
rocksalt (alternative)

Farther to the southward, the rivers which are affluent to the Colorado, such as the Rio Virgen, and Gila river, near their mouths, are impregnated with salt by the cliffs of rock salt between which they pass.

1845, J[ohn] C[harles] Frémont, Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842, and to Oregon and North California in the Years 1843-’44, Washington: Gales and Seaton, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 158:


esperite

esperite (usually uncountable, plural esperites)

(mineralogy) A rare complex calcium lead zinc silicate mineral with the formula (PbCa₃Zn₄(SiO₄)₄).


ozarkite

ozarkites (plural)
Ozarkite (alternative)

First named in print by Charles Upham Shepard in 1846, after The Ozarks, Missouri, although it was from the region of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

(mineralogy) Thomsonite, a mineral series of the zeolite group.

(mineralogy, archaic) The mineral mozarkite of the Missouri, Ozark region.


thomsonite

(mineralogy) Ozarkite, a mineral native to the United States.


Mozarkite

Did you know that Mozarkite, with its pretty pink and purple swirls is our state rock?

2010, Judy Young, S is for Show Me: A Missouri Alphabet, →ISBN:

Our state rock is Mozarkite.

2010, Ross Malone, Tales from Missouri and the Heartland, →ISBN, page 137:

Because it comes in colors ranging from green to red to purple, Mozarkite is often used in jewelry.

2011, Carole Marsh, My First Pocket Guide About Missouri, →ISBN, page 17:

(mineralogy) Alternative spelling of mozarkite


serpentinization

serpentinization (countable and uncountable, plural serpentinizations)

(geology, mineralogy) The conversion of mineral or rock into serpentine.


geyserite

(mineralogy) A type of stone, a mixture of quartz and opal deposited by a geyser as it precipitates out of the boiling water.


arfvedsonite

arfvedsonite (countable and uncountable, plural arfvedsonites)

Named for Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson (1792-1841)

(mineralogy) A rare sodium amphibole mineral.


kidney ore

kidney ore (countable and uncountable, plural kidney ores)

(mineralogy) Hematite in a reniform habit.


exsolve

en-verb

exsolve (third-person singular simple present exsolves, present participle exsolving, simple past and past participle exsolved)

exsolves (present singular third-person)
exsolving (participle present)
exsolved (participle past)
exsolved (past)

Learned borrowing from Latin exsolvere. Doublet of exolve.

Certain minerals may exsolve into the atmosphere from an erupting volcano.

(mineralogy, when referring to two or more minerals in a solid solution) To separate from one another at a critical point in temperature.


duporthite

Named after Duporth (a town in Cornwall, England, where this mineral occurred) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare asbestiform mineral, a mixture of talc and chlorite.


jasperoid

(mineralogy) A rare dense siliceous rock similar in appearance to chert.


javaite

en-noun

javaite (countable and uncountable, plural javaites)

From Java + -ite, from its outcrop on the Indonesian island of Java.

(mineralogy) A tektite found on and around the island of Java.


sericite

sericite (countable and uncountable, plural sericites)

(mineralogy) A fine-grained mica found in metamorphic rocks


selenian

en-adj

selenian (comparative more selenian, superlative most selenian)

more selenian (comparative)
most selenian (superlative)

(mineralogy) Containing selenium (especially when this replaces another element).


moganite

(mineralogy) A crystalline form of silica that has a different crystal structure than that of quartz


quartzless

The majority of the Diorites are quartzless; but some contain Quartz, and are then termed Quartz-diorites.

1885, Charles Lyell, The Student's Elements of Geology:


microlite

(mineralogy) A basic fluoride of sodium, calcium, tantalum and niobium that is isomorphous with pyrochlore


gunningite

Dr Henry Cecil Gunning (1901-1991), + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare mineral in the kieserite group, having the chemical formula (Zn,Mn²⁺)SO₄·H₂O.


chondrodite

(mineralogy) A nesosilicate mineral with chemical formula (Mg,Fe)₅(F,OH)₂(SiO₄)₂, the most frequently encountered member of the humite group.


clarkeite

Frank Wigglesworth Clarke (1847-1931), American mineral chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A uranium oxide mineral of variable composition and uncertain structure, its colour varying from dark brown to orange.


greenockite

en-noun

greenockite (countable and uncountable, plural greenockites)

Lord Greenock, on whose land the mineral was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare cadmium mineral that consists of cadmium sulfide in crystalline form.


zykaite

From the name of Dr. Vaclav Zyka, Czech geochemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A dull, soft, translucent greyish-white mineral consisting of arsenic, hydrogen, iron, sulfur and oxygen.


zussmanite

zussmanite (usually uncountable, plural zussmanites)

Jack Zussman, geology professor and author, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrated iron-rich silicate, found as a pale green crystal with perfect cleavage.


zippeite

zippeite (countable and uncountable, plural zippeites)

F X M Zippe, Prague mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrous potassium uranium sulfate mineral with chemical formula K₄(UO₂)₆(SO₄)₃(OH)₁₀·4(H₂O), forming yellow to reddish-brown monoclinic-prismatic crystals with perfect cleavage and formerly used in the manufacture of paint.


magnesioferrite

(mineralogy) A magnesium iron oxide mineral, a member of the magnetite series of spinels, which forms black metallic octahedral crystals.


zanazziite

From Zanazzi + -ite, after P. F. Zanazzi, Italian professor of mineralogy.

(mineralogy) A complex phosphate with the chemical formula Ca₂(Mg,Fe)(Mg,Fe,Mn,Al)₄Be₄(OH)₄(PO₄)₆·6H₂O, having a pale to dark olive-green colour.


osarizawaite

Named after Osarizawa mine, in Akita Prefecture, Japan, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A greenish-yellow mineral with the chemical formula PbCuAl₂(SO₄)₂(OH)₆, having rhombohedral crystals.


xocomecatlite

From Nahuatl xocomecatl (“grapevine”) (alluding to its appearance as a set of green spherules), and -ite.

(mineralogy) A telluride mineral found in cracks in altered rhyolite.


åkermanite

Named for Anders Richard Åkerman, a Swedish mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A melilite mineral of the sorosilicate group, containing calcium, magnesium, silicon, and oxygen and having the chemical formula Ca₂Mg[Si₂O₇].


stilpnomelane

stilpnomelane (countable and uncountable, plural stilpnomelanes)

Ancient Greek στιλπνός (stilpnós, “glittering”), and μελανός (melanós, “black”).

uder

(mineralogy) A metamorphic phyllosilicate mineral of the mica group, having the chemical formula K(Fe²⁺,Mg,Fe³⁺)₈(Si,Al)₁₂(O,OH)₂₇.


santabarbaraite

From Santa Barbara + -ite. Named after Santa Barbara in Italy, where it was found.

(mineralogy) An amorphous ferric hydroxy phosphate mineral hydrate.


xonotlite

Tetela de Xonotla, Mexico, where it was found, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula Ca₆Si₆O₁₇(OH)₂, found in various colours.


polarite

The Polar Ural Mountains in Russia, where it is found, and -ite.

(mineralogy) An opaque, yellow-white mineral with a metallic lustre, having the chemical formula (Pd,(Bi,Pb)).


zimbabweite

Zimbabwe, where it was discovered, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A yellow-brown mineral with chemical formula (Na,K)₂PbAs₄(Nb,Ta,Ti)₄O₁₈, generally classed as an arsenite.


freieslebenite

From Freiesleben + -ite. Named after Johann Karl Freiesleben (1774–1846), Mining Commissioner of Saxony in Germany.

named-after

(mineralogy) A rare opaque sulfide mineral of antimony, lead and silver with the chemical formula AgPbSbS₃.


gwihabaite

Gcwihaba Cave in Botswana, where it was found in 1996, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare ammonium potassium nitrate mineral with chemical formula (NH₄,K)(NO₃), orthorhombic in form and colourless with a vitreous lustre.


hafnon

(mineralogy) A mineral of hafnium silicate ore, having the chemical formula HfSiO₄, produced synthetically by substituting hafnium for the zirconium in zircon.


kornerupine

Named after Andreas Nikolaus Kornerup (1857–1883), Danish geologist + -ine.

(mineralogy) A rare boro-silicate mineral with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe²⁺)₄(Al,Fe³⁺)₆(SiO₄,BO₄)₅(O,OH)₂, some varieties of which are valued as gemstones.


frankhawthorneite

Professor Frank Hawthorne, Winnipeg geologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with the chemical formula Cu₂Te⁶⁺O₄(OH)₂ and a leaf-green colour.


brownmillerite

Lorrin Thomas Brownmiller (1902-1988), American chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula Ca₂(Al,Fe⁺⁺⁺)₂O₅, found in metamorphosed limestone.


purpurite

(mineralogy) A manganese phosphate mineral with a striking purple colour.


zektzerite

From the name of Jack Zektzer, who recognised that the mineral (originally misidentified as morganite) was unknown, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral of agpaitic granites.


uchucchacuaite

Named after the discovery locality, Uchuc-Chacua deposit, Catajambo, Peru.
Uchuc-Chacua + -ite

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula (AgMnPb₃Sb₅S₁₂), often found in hydrothermal deposits.


phillipsite

(mineralogy) A mineral of the zeolite group, a hydrated potassium, calcium and aluminium silicate with monoclinic crystals.


christianite

From Christian + -ite, after Christian VIII of Denmark.


ye'elimite

Har Ye'elim in Israel, where it was first found in nature, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A calcium sulphoaluminate mineral.


pseudophillipsite

(mineralogy, dated) A variety of phillipsite containing less silica.


childrenite

From Children + -ite after John George Children (1777-1852), its discoverer.

(mineralogy) A rare hydrated phosphate mineral with the chemical formula (Fe,Mn)AlPO₄(OH)₂•H₂O, brown or yellow in colour with a vitreous lustre.


juonniite

(mineralogy) A form of segelerite in which the iron is replaced by scandium.


overite

(mineralogy) A form of segelerite in which the iron is replaced by aluminium.


moschellandsbergite

From Moschellandsberg + -ite, after the town in Germany.

(mineralogy) A rare isometric mineral made up of a silver-white amalgam of mercury and silver, having the chemical formula Ag₂Hg₃.


kaatialaite

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula (Fe(H₂AsO₄)₃·5H₂O).


zeagonite

(mineralogy) Obsolete name for a supposed mineral, later reclassified as a mixture of phillipsite with gismondine or levynite.


hodgkinsonite

From Hodgkinson + -ite, after H. H. Hodgkinson, its discoverer.

(mineralogy) A rare monoclinic zinc manganese silicate mineral with the chemical formula Zn₂MnSiO₄(OH)₂, having a pink, red or yellow-red colour.


annabergite

Annaberg-Buchholz in Germany, where it can be found, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral consisting of a hydrous nickel arsenate, chemical formula Ni₃(AsO₄)₂·8H₂O, with an apple-green colour.


levyne

en-noun

levyne (countable and uncountable, plural levynes)

Armand Levy (1794-1841), French mineralogist.

(mineralogy) A hydrated silicate mineral found in sodium- and calcium-dominated forms.


nsutite

From Nsuta + -ite, from the place in Ghana where it was discovered.

(mineralogy) A dull manganese oxide mineral.


sasbachite

(mineralogy) Obsolete name for a supposed mineral, now believed to be phillipsite.


spangite

(mineralogy, obsolete) a supposed mineral, now believed to be phillipsite.


harmotome

harmotome (countable and uncountable, plural harmotomes)

From Ancient Greek ἁρμός (harmós, “joint, shoulder”) and τομή (tomḗ, “section”).

uder

(mineralogy) A rare zeolite, a hydrated barium silicate that forms vitreous white monoclinic crystals.


wellsite

(mineralogy, obsolete) A supposed mineral, later reclassified as a mixture of phillipsite with harmotome.


normalin

(mineralogy, obsolete) A supposed mineral, now believed to be phillipsite.


dumortierite

en-noun

dumortierite (countable and uncountable, plural dumortierites)

Eugene Dumortier (1803-1873), French palaeontologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A fibrous aluminium boro-silicate mineral that occurs in various colours.


buddingtonite

Arthur Francis Buddington (1890-1980), petrologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) An ammonium feldspar with a vitreous lustre.


boulangerite

boulangerite (usually uncountable, plural boulangerites)

Charles Boulanger, French mining engineer, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A lead antimony sulfide mineral that forms metallic grey monoclinic crystals.


carobbiite

Guido Carobbi (1900–1983), Italian geologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) Potassium fluoride, a rare, soft, colourless cubic mineral.


xanthiosite

(mineralogy) A phosphate mineral first discovered in Germany in 1858.


xifengite

(mineralogy) A grey metallic hexagonal mineral.


herbertsmithite

Herbert Smith (1872-1953), mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula ZnCu₃(OH)₆Cl₂, light green or blue-green with a vitreous lustre.


bixbyite

Maynard Bixby, American mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare manganese iron oxide mineral with a black metallic appearance.


bixbite

(mineralogy, dated) The mineral red beryl.


godovikovite

(mineralogy) A rare mineral with the chemical formula (NH₄)Al(SO₄)₂ (or with aluminium partially replaced by iron).


hutchinsonite

Arthur Hutchinson (1866-1937), Cambridge mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare sulfosalt mineral of thallium, arsenic and lead.


dawsonite

dawsonite (countable and uncountable, plural dawsonites)

Sir John William Dawson, geologist; Dawson + -ite.

(mineralogy) An orthorhombic mineral composed of sodium aluminium carbonate hydroxide.


aubertite

(mineralogy) A blue mineral with the chemical formula CuAl(SO₄)₂Cl·14(H₂O).


heazlewoodite

From Heazlewood + -ite, from an Australian placename.

(mineralogy) A rare nickel sulfide mineral found in serpentinized dunite.


schröckingerite

(mineralogy) A radioactive yellow mineral that fluoresces under ultraviolet light.


bazzite

Alessandro E Bazzi, who discovered an occurrence in Italy, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A beryllium scandium cyclosilicate mineral taking the form of small blue hexagonal crystals.


baddeleyite

After Joseph Baddeley, who described the original Sri Lankan find, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare zirconium oxide mineral occurring in a variety of monoclinic prismatic crystal forms.


leadhillite

Leadhills, Scotland, where it was discovered, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A soft lead sulfate carbonate hydroxide mineral.


jerrygibbsite

Jerry V. Gibbs, Virginia professor of geology, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare violet-pink mineral, believed to be a member of the leucophoenicite family.


jarosewichite

Eugene Jarosewich, Smithsonian chemist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A manganese arsenate hydroxide mineral.


vauquelinite

Louis Vauquelin (1763-1829), French chemist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A complex mineral, a combined chromate and phosphate of copper and lead.


pharmacosiderite

From Ancient Greek φάρμᾰκον (phármăkon, “poison (i.e. arsenic)”) + σῐ́δηρος (sĭ́dēros, “iron”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) A hydrated basic ferric arsenate, consisting of the elements arsenic, iron, hydrogen, potassium, sodium and oxygen.


magadiite

en-noun

magadiite (countable and uncountable, plural magadiites)

Lake Magadi, Kenya, where an occurrence was first described, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A soft white hydrous sodium silicate mineral.


mackinawite

Mackinaw mine, Washington, where an occurrence was first described + -ite.

(mineralogy) A tetragonal iron nickel sulfide mineral that occurs as opaque bronze to grey-white tabular crystals and anhedral masses.


holmquistite

Per Johan Holmquist, Swedish petrologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A lithium magnesium aluminium inosilicate mineral, varying in colour from black or violet to sky blue.


breithauptite

Johann Friedrich August Breithaupt (1791-1873), German mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A nickel antimonide mineral with the chemical formula NiSb, having a metallic opaque copper-red appearance.


titanowodginite

(mineralogy) A titanium-bearing mineral of the wodginite group.


melanochroite

From melano- + Ancient Greek χρώς (khrṓs) + -ite.

af

(mineralogy) An alternate name for phoenicochroite.


phoenicochroite

From Ancient Greek φοινίκεος (phoiníkeos, “crimson”) + Ancient Greek χρώς (khrṓs, “color”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A form of lead chromate with striking orange-red crystals.


searlesite

From Searles + -ite, after John W. Searles, Californian pioneer.

(mineralogy) A sodium borosilicate mineral, an important ore of borax.


abernathyite

Jess Abernathy, Utah mine operator, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare hydrous uranium oxide mineral that forms yellow vitreous tabular crystals with perfect cleavage.


abhurite

Sharm Abhur, a cove in the Red Sea, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A soft mineral composed of tin, oxygen, hydrogen, and chlorine.


abswurmbachite

Irmgard Abs-Wurmbach, German mineralogist, + -ite

(mineralogy) A tetragonal copper manganese silicate mineral with a metallic lustre.


cossyrite

(mineralogy) Alternate name for aenigmatite.


aenigmatite

en-noun

aenigmatite (countable and uncountable, plural aenigmatites)

aenigmatites (plural)
ænigmatite (alternative)

(mineralogy) An inosilicate mineral of sodium, iron, and titanium, forming brown to black triclinic lamellar crystals.


acuminite

(mineralogy) A mineral composed of strontium, aluminium, fluorine, oxygen, and hydrogen.


adelite

From Ancient Greek ἄδηλος (ádēlos, “indistinct”) + -ite.

affix

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, a calcium-magnesium arsenate, forming blue, green, yellow or grey orthorhombic crystals.


admontite

(mineralogy) A soft mineral composed of magnesium, boron, oxygen, and hydrogen.


aerugite

(mineralogy) A rare complex nickel arsenate mineral that forms green to deep blue-green trigonal crystals.


zálesíite

Named after the type locality: Zálesí, a village in the Czech Republic, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral of the mixite group.


widgiemoolthalite

Named for Australian community Widgiemooltha, + -lite.

(mineralogy) A nickel analogue of hydromagnesite discovered in Western Australia.


holdawayite

Michael Jon Holdaway (1936-), American petrologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A manganese hydroxyl-carbonate mineral.


goldquarryite

(mineralogy) A mineral, the first known cadmium-bearing phosphate.


xingzhongite

(mineralogy) An opaque metallic mineral composed of copper, iridium, iron, lead, platinum, rhodium, and sulphur.


xiangjiangite

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral composed of aluminium, hydrogen, iron, oxygen, phosphorus, sulphur, and uranium.


fukuchilite

Nobuyo Fukuchi, Japanese mineralogist, + -lite.

(mineralogy) A copper iron sulphide, believed by some to be a form of villamaninite.


clinochrysotile

(mineralogy) A soft, fibrous silicate mineral in the serpentine group of phyllosilicates, also called "white asbestos".


chapmanite

Edward John Chapman, geology professor at the University of Toronto, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare nesosilicate mineral, an iron antimony silicate closely related to bismutoferrite.


uklonskovite

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with a vitreous lustre that has the chemical formula NaMg(SO₄)F.


empressite

Empress Josephine Mine, Colorado, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare hexagonal mineral form of silver telluride.


sylvanite

en-noun

sylvanite (countable and uncountable, plural sylvanites)

From sylvan + -ite, since it can be found in Transylvania.

(mineralogy) Silver gold telluride, a soft metallic mineral ranging in color from steely gray to almost white.


yuksporite

(mineralogy) A rare pink inosilicate mineral with orthorhombic crystals.


moolooite

Mooloo Downs, Australia, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare blue-green mineral, a hydrated copper oxalate with an orthorhombic crystalline structure.


sborgite

Umberto Sborgi (1883-1955), Italian chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A colourless sodium borate mineral with monoclinic crystals.


kurnakovite

Nikolai S. Kurnakov (1860-1941), Russian mineralogist, and -ite.


kutnohorite

kutnohorite (countable and uncountable, plural kutnohorites)

(mineralogy) A rare calcium manganese magnesium iron carbonate mineral with trigonal crystals, having a white, pink or brown colour.


nenadkevichite

nenadkevichite (usually uncountable, plural nenadkevichites)

Konstantin A Nenadkevich, Russian mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare silicate mineral containing niobium.


nesquehonite

(mineralogy) Magnesium carbonate trihydrate.


meteoriticist

The following is a not-too-imaginary conversation between a meteoriticist and an important on-the-spot witness to a fireball that went soaring over his alfalfa patch.

1967, Robert Shirley Richardson, Getting Acquainted with Comets, McGraw-Hill, page 133:

In spite of this reservation, most meteoriticists now accept extinct aluminum-26 as the most likely source of heat for the meteorite parent bodies: it was abundant when the solar system formed, and it decayed fast enough to account for the intense but brief thermal histories of most meteorites.

1986, Robert T. Dodd, Thunderstones and Shooting Stars: The Meaning of Meteorites, Harvard University Press, page 90:

Most of the meteoriticists who "discover" new meteorites depend on someone from the general public to bring in a strange rock they have encountered.

1997, The Planetary Report, volumes 17-18, The Planetary Society, page 20:

(astronomy, mineralogy, geochemistry, cosmochemistry) A scientist involved in meteoritics.


niningerite

niningerite (usually uncountable, plural niningerites)

Named for Harvey H. Nininger, meteoriticist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A magnesium-iron-manganese sulfide mineral.


disphenoid

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-disphenoid.wav

From di- (“twice, double”) + sphenoid (“wedge-shaped crystal or bone of the skull”).

prefix

(mineralogy) Of or pertaining to a wedge-shaped crystal form of the tetragonal or orthorhombic system.

(mineralogy) Of or pertaining to a crystal form bounded by eight scalene triangles arranged in pairs, constituting a tetragonal scalenohedron.


kratochvilite

Harvey H Nininger, meteoriticist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare organic mineral, an orthorhombic hydrocarbon formed by combustion of coal or pyritic black shale deposits.


zabuyelite

Zabuye Salt Lake, Tibet, where it was discovered, and -ite.

(mineralogy) The natural mineral form of lithium carbonate, forming colourless vitreous monoclinic crystals.


zaccagnaite

en-noun

zaccagnaite (countable and uncountable, plural zaccagnaites)

Domenico Zaccagna (1851-1940), Italian mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A basic zinc and aluminium carbonate


illite

illite (countable and uncountable, plural illites)

(mineralogy) A micaceous phyllosilicate clay mineral with aggregates of grey or white monoclinic crystals.


hydromica

(mineralogy) An alternate name for illite.


hydromuscovite

hydromuscovite (countable and uncountable, plural hydromuscovites)


idrialine

idrialine (countable and uncountable, plural idrialines)


idrialite

idrialite (countable and uncountable, plural idrialites)

(mineralogy) A soft, orthorhombic hydrocarbon mineral, usually greenish-yellow to light brown in colour with bluish fluorescence.


inyoite

Inyo County, California, where it was discovered, and + -ite

(mineralogy) A colourless monoclinic mineral with the chemical formula Ca(H₄B₃O₇)(OH)·4H₂O.


zharchikhite

Zharchinskoya Deposit, Russia, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydroxy fluoride mineral of aluminium that forms colourless, transparent crystals.


zakharovite

E E Zakharov (1902-1980), geologist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A silicate mineral of sodium and manganese, yellow in colour with a pearly lustre.


xanthoxenite

(mineralogy) A dull brown or yellow triclinic mineral.


zincobotryogen

(mineralogy) A soft hydrous sulfate mineral that forms bright orange-red monoclinic prismatic crystals with a vitreous to greasy lustre.


ulvöspinel

Named after the Ulvö Islands, where it was first described, and spinel.

(mineralogy) An iron titanium oxide mineral of the spinel group.


jacobsite

(mineralogy) A manganese iron oxide mineral, a magnetite spinel.


coltan

Coltan is used for the production of tantalum capacitors.

[…] as of 2003 over one billion cell phones were in use worldwide, so by the time the high-tech bubble approached its bursting point in 2000 and 2001, coltan had become an extremely hot commodity.

2007, Elizabeth Grossman, High Tech Trash, Island Press, →ISBN, page 46:

Consider your mobile phone. Before it was assembled in a Chinese factory, the coltan in its capacitors may have been dug by miners in the Eastern Congo, where millions have died in a series of wars over ‘conflict minerals’, though we give this no more thought than previous generations of Westerners gave to the Congolese origins of the ivory in their piano keys, the rubber in their tyres, the copper in their bullet casings or the uranium in their bombs.

2014, Adam Schatz, ‘Ça va un peu’, London Review of Books, volume 36, number 20:

(mineralogy) A metallic ore, (Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)₂O₆, from which the elements niobium and tantalum are extracted.


gemmology

from Latin gemma (“gem”) + -logy (“science”).

(mineralogy) the branch of mineralogy that studies mineral gems and petrified gemstones


berborite

(mineralogy) A colorless trigonal or hexagonal mineral, with chemical formula Be₂(BO₃)(OH,F)·(H₂O).


berryite

Named for Leonard Gascoigne Berry, an American mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A blue-gray opaque mineral, with chemical formula Pb₃(Ag,Cu)₅Bi₇S₁₆.


berthierite

Named for Pierre Berthier, a French chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A steel-gray opaque mineral, with chemical formula FeSb₂S₄.


berndtite

(mineralogy) A rare tin sulfide mineral.


betafite

betafite (countable and uncountable, plural betafites)

From Betafo + -ite, after Betafo in the Malagasy Republic, where it was discovered.

(mineralogy) A radioactive mineral in the pyrochlore group, having chemical formula (Ca,U)₂(Ti,Nb,Ta)₂O₆(OH).


benitoite

San Benito County, California, where it can be found, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare hard blue silicate mineral found in hydrothermally altered serpentinite.


bentorite

(mineralogy) A hard transparent violet mineral with vitreous lustre.


zhanghengite

Zhang Heng, ancient Chinese astronomer, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A golden-yellow mineral containing predominantly copper and zinc but also iron, chromium, and aluminium.


yttrialite

(mineralogy) A rare, highly radioactive yttrium thorium sorosilicate mineral with conchoidal fracture.


zirkelite

zirkelite (usually uncountable, plural zirkelites)

Ferdinand Zirkel (1838-1912), German petrographer, + -ite.

(mineralogy) An isometric oxide mineral with the chemical formula (Ca,Th,Ce)Zr(Ti,Nb)₂O₇.


zircophyllite

(mineralogy) A complex mineral with the chemical formula (K,Na)₃(Mn,Fe)₇(Zr,Ti,Nb)₂Si₈O₂₄(OH,F)₇.


zirconolite

(mineralogy) The mineral calcium zirconium titanate.


zincochromite

(mineralogy) A mineral, the zinc analogue of chromite.


zinalsite

From the opening letters of the words zinc aluminium silicate, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A supposed zinc aluminium silicate mineral, not officially recognised.


zaherite

From the name of Mohamed Abduz Zaher, the Bangladeshi geologist who discovered it, and + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral, a complex sulphate of aluminium, coloured white to blue-green.


CAI

CAI (countable and uncountable, plural CAIs)

(inorganic chemistry, mineralogy) Initialism of calcium-aluminium-rich inclusion, a type of mineral.


drusy

A mineral having a drusy cavity is sometimes called a geode.

1856, David Thomas Ansted, Elementary Course of Geology, Mineralogy, and Physical Geography:

...before deposition of the upper layer of sediment, and before the infilling of the cavity with a drusy mosaic.

1963, Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society:


druse

Borrowed via French from German Druse (“crystallized piece of ore”); compare dross.

der

Occurs as a fine coating over the minerals in druses or cavities in the granite.

1889, Dana et al, A System of Mineralogy:

Nontronite, a variety of chloropal occurs as a light yellow powder in druses of the North Conway granite (99, p. 312).

1969, T. R. Meyers, The Geology of New Hampshire: Minerals and mines, page 18:

A lot of druses are found in the vein, and euhedral crystals of quartz, marcasite and sphalerite are observed as druse minerals.

1984, Science Reports of the Tohoku University:

(mineralogy) A rock surface with a crust of tiny crystals.

друза

a rock surface with a crust of tiny crystals


jordanite

From Jordan + -ite, after Dr H. Jordan (1808-1887), its discoverer.

(mineralogy) A grey monoclinic sulfosalt mineral with chemical formula Pb₁₄(As,Sb)₆S₂₃.


jurbanite

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with chemical formula AlSO₄(OH)·₅H₂O.


iodargyrite

(mineralogy) A natural mineral form of silver iodide.


jamesonite

Robert Jameson (1774-1854), Scottish mineralogist + -ite.

(mineralogy) A dark grey monoclinic sulfosalt mineral with chemical formula Pb₄FeSb₆S₁₄.


jaffeite

After Howard W Jaffe, Amherst geologist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrated calcium silicate mineral with chemical formula Ca₆Si₂O₇(OH)₆.


quenstedtite

Named after F. A. von Quenstedt, German mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare iron sulfate mineral that forms violet or white triclinic crystals.


hübnerite

hübnerites (plural)
huebnerite (alternative)
hubnerite (alternative)

Adolf Hübner, German mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A manganese tungstate mineral that forms reddish-brown to black monoclinic prismatic submetallic crystals.


submetallic

(mineralogy) Having a lustre like that of metal, but duller and less reflective


wüstite

en-noun

wüstite (countable and uncountable, plural wüstites)

From Wüst + -ite after Fritz Wüst (1860-1938), a German metallurgist.

(mineralogy) A grey mineral form of iron(II) oxide with a greenish tint.


akaganeite

akaganeite (countable and uncountable, plural akaganeites)

Akagane mine, Japan, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A monoclinic iron(III) oxide-hydroxide/chloride mineral formed by the weathering of pyrrhotite.


hisingerite

hisingerite (countable and uncountable, plural hisingerites)

From Hisinger + -ite after Wilhelm Hisinger, Swedish chemist.

(mineralogy) An iron silicate with a dark-brown or black color, formula Fe³⁺₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·2H₂O.


hislopite

From Hislop + -ite after Stephen Hislop (1816-1873), a Scottish missionary in India.

(mineralogy) A bright green variety of calcite.


nagyagite

nagyagites (plural)
nagyágite (alternative)

Named after Nagyág, a mineral mine in Săcărâmb, Romania.

(mineralogy) A dark grey to black sulfide, formula (Pb₅Au(Te,Sb)₄S₅₋₈).


nosean

nosean (countable and uncountable, plural noseans)


noselite

From the name of K. W. Nose (1753-1835), German mineralogist, and + -lite.

(mineralogy) A rare fluorescent isometric feldspathoid mineral.


barringtonite

(mineralogy) Magnesium carbonate dihydrate.


djurleite

djurleite (usually uncountable, plural djurleites)

From Djurle + -ite, after Seved Djurle (1928-2000), Swedish chemist.

(mineralogy) A copper sulfide mineral with the chemical formula Cu₃₁S₁₆.


spherocobaltite

(mineralogy) Cobalt(II) carbonate, a red trigonal mineral used in pottery glazes.


meyerhofferite

Wilhelm Meyerhoffer (1864-1906), German chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrated borate mineral with the chemical formula Ca₂B₆O₆(OH)₁₀ · ₂(H₂O).


kyzylkumite

(mineralogy) An opaque black monoclinic mineral.


euhedral

en-adj

euhedral (comparative more euhedral, superlative most euhedral)

more euhedral (comparative)
most euhedral (superlative)

(mineralogy) Having sharp, recognisable crystal faces.


subhedral

subhedral (comparative more subhedral, superlative most subhedral)

more subhedral (comparative)
most subhedral (superlative)

(mineralogy) Having some crystal faces and some grainy surfaces; neither entirely euhedral nor entirely anhedral.


conchoidal

conchoidal (comparative more conchoidal, superlative most conchoidal)

more conchoidal (comparative)
most conchoidal (superlative)

1821, Coal, entry in Andrew Ure, A Dictionary of Chemistry on the Basis of Mr Nicholson's, unnumbered page,
It is distinguished by its splendent lustre and conchoidal fracture.

Some flakes detached in a controlled manner have characteristics of conchoidal fracture.

2005, “Chapter 19: Lithic Studies”, in Herbert D. G. Maschner, Christopher Chippindale, editors, Handbook of Archaeological Methods, volume 1, page 719:

On one side of the radial edge, the conchoidal fractures form right angles, that is, form a perpendicular with the edge.

2011, Robert C Shaler, Crime Scene Forensics: A Scientific Method Approach, page 479:

If grains derived from these rocks are unweathered after separation from the parent rock (a very rare occurrence), they may contain either conchoidal breakage patterns if grains are large, or upturned plates and flat upper and lower surfaces if small grains are considered.

2011, David H. Krinsley, John C. Doornkamp, Atlas of Quartz Sand Surface Textures, page 10:

(mineralogy, of a fracture) Irregular, with planar, concentric curves, similar to those on a mussel shell.

1821, Focus of Philosophy, Science and Art, Volume 1, Issues 1-4, page 74,
The customary transitions of pitchstone are, into Chalcedony, Chert, Semi-opal; also into a substance resembling conchoidal shining jasper, found in clay strata, entangled in trap, or volcanic rock; and lastly, into Trap.

(mineralogy, of a mineral) That fractures with planar concentric curves (e.g., as flint, chert or obsidian).


andyrobertsite

Andrew C Roberts (1950-), Canadian mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with vitreous lustre, having the chemical formula KCdCu₅[H₂AsO₄|(AsO₄)₄]·2H₂O.


gormanite

Donald Gorman, Canadian geologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A triclinic hydrated phosphate mineral.


afghanite

From Afghan + -ite, since it was discovered in Afghanistan.

(mineralogy) A hydrous hexagonal feldspathoid mineral of the cancrinite group.


hectorite

(mineralogy) A basic silicate of magnesium and lithium; it is a clay mineral of the montmorillonite group.


chkalovite

en-noun

chkalovite (countable and uncountable, plural chkalovites)

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, sodium beryllium silicate.


chladniite

chladniite (countable and uncountable, plural chladniites)

From Chladni (“a surname”) + -ite, after German physicist Ernst Florens Friedrich Chladni (1756—1827).

(mineralogy) Alternative form of chladnite


okenite

Lorenz Oken (1779-1851), German naturalist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A silicate mineral associated with zeolites, having the chemical formula (CaSi₂O₅·2H₂O).


oldhamite

(mineralogy) The mineral form of calcium sulphide.


froodite

froodite (usually uncountable, plural froodites)

(mineralogy) An opaque metallic grey mineral containing bismuth and palladium.


cat's eye

cat's eye (countable and uncountable, plural cats' eyes or cat's eyes)

cats' eyes (plural)
cat's eyes (plural)
cat's-eye (alternative)
catseye (alternative)

An allusion to the way a cat's eyes will appear to glow when illuminated in the dark. In mineralogy, a calque of French œil de chat.

(mineralogy) Cymophane (translucent yellow chatoyant chrysoberyl).


manganiferous

en-adj

manganiferous (comparative more manganiferous, superlative most manganiferous)

more manganiferous (comparative)
most manganiferous (superlative)

a manganiferous ore

(mineralogy, metallurgy) Containing manganese


titanomagnetite

(mineralogy) A form of magnetite containing small amounts of titanium


rammelsbergite

Karl Friedrich August Rammelsberg, German mineralogist, and -ite.


ullmannite

en-noun

ullmannite (countable and uncountable, plural ullmannites)

Johann Christoph Ullmann (1771-1821), German mineralogist, + -ite

(mineralogy) A nickel antimony sulphide mineral.


szomolnokite

(mineralogy) An iron sulfate mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·H₂O.


rozenite

(mineralogy) An iron sulphide mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·4H₂O.


siderotil

(mineralogy) An iron sulphide mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·5H₂O.


ferrohexahydrite

(mineralogy) An iron sulphide mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·6H₂O.


palladobismutharsenide

(mineralogy) An opaque metallic silvery-white mineral containing palladium, bismuth, and arsenic.


vrbaite

From Vrba + -ite, after Karl Vrba (1845-1922), Czech mineralogist.

(mineralogy) An opaque, brittle mineral with chemical formula Tl₄Hg₃Sb₂As₈S₂₀.


haggertyite

(mineralogy) A rare hexagonal mineral, a barium iron magnesium titanate.


aheylite

From a (first letter of Allen) + heyl + -ite, named after Allen V. Heyl, a geologist for the United States Geological Survey.

(mineralogy) A pale blue or green triclinic mineral.

United States Geological Survey
aheylite


aksaite

From Aksay + -ite, named in 1963 after the locality in Kazakhstan where it was found, which comes from Kazakh Ақсай (Aqsai), literally "white glen".

(mineralogy) A mineral containing magnesium, boron, oxygen, and hydrogen.


akimotoite

akimotoite (usually uncountable, plural akimotoites)

(mineralogy) A trigonal mineral of the ilmenite group with a vitreous lustre, the silicon analogue of geikielite.


akdalaite

From the Kazakh name, Akdala, for the type locality, the Betpak-Dala desert.
Akdala + -ite

(mineralogy) A white hexagonal mineral with chemical formula 4Al₂O₃·H₂O found in Kazakhstan.


akhtenskite

(mineralogy) A rare grey or black mineral containing manganese and oxygen.