A mineraloid is a mineral-like substance that does not demonstrate crystallinity. Mineraloids possess chemical compositions that vary beyond the generally accepted ranges for specific minerals. For example, obsidian is an amorphous glass and not a crystal. Jet is derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure. Opal is another mineraloid because of its non-crystal nature. Pearl, considered by some to be a mineral because of the presence of calcium carbonate crystals within its structure, would be better considered a mineraloid because the crystals are bonded by an organic material, and there is no definite proportion of the components.
Common mineraloids[]
- Allophane, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
- Amber, non-crystalline structure, organic
- Anthracite or hard coal
- Bituminous coal
- Chlorophaeite
- Chrysocolla, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
- Deweylite, a mixture of serpentine and talc or stevensite
- Diatomite
- Ebonite, vulcanized natural or synthetic rubber (organic); lacks a crystalline structure
- Fulgurite, a variety of the mineraloid lechatelierite
- Gallium, as liquid
- Jet, non-crystalline nature, organic (very compact coal)
- Lechatelierite, nearly pure silica glass, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
- Leonardite
- Libyan desert glass
- Lignite or brown coal
- Limonite, a mixture of oxides and hydroxides of iron
- Mercury, liquid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
- Moldavite
- Mookaite/Radiolarite
- Obsidian, volcanic glass – non-crystalline structure, a silica rich glass
- Opal, non-crystalline hydrated silica silicon dioxide, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
- Ozokerite, a black waxy hydrocarbon mixture
- Palagonite
- Pearl, organically produced carbonate
- Pele's Hair
- Petroleum, liquid, organic
- Psilomelane
- Pumice
- Pyrobitumen, amorphous fossilized petroleum (noncrystalline, organic)
- Shungite, black, lustrous, more than 98 weight percent of carbon
- Sideromelane, volcanic glass – non-crystalline, an iron rich, silica poor glass
- Tektite, meteoritic silica rich glass
- Water, e. g. as inclusions in other crystals, liquid
- Zietrisikite, a mineral hydrocarbon wax
See also[]
- List of minerals - Mineraloids are listed after minerals in each alphabetically sorted section.
- Nonmineral
References[]
- Mineraloids are not true minerals
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