Category: Uncategorized

Amazonite is a green variety of microcline feldspar (KAlSi₃O₈), prized both as a gemstone and for its striking color. 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: Named after the Amazon River, though no deposits are actually found there. The name reflects its vivid green color reminiscent of tropical landscapes. Mineral Group: Feldspar (alkali feldspar, specifically microcline).…

Amatrice is an obsolete mineral name that was historically applied to a variety of scapolite. It is not recognized today as a distinct mineral species by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: From Amatrice, a town in Lazio, Italy, where the mineral variety was first described. Status: Discredited; modern mineralogy…

Amargosite is an obsolete mineral name, historically used as a synonym for bentonite (a clay composed mainly of montmorillonite). It is not recognized today as a distinct mineral species by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: Derived from the Amargosa region in Nevada, USA, where bentonite deposits occur. Status: Considered…

Amarantite is a rare hydrated iron sulfate mineral with the formula Fe³⁺₂(SO₄)O·7H₂O. It is one of the more unusual secondary sulfates formed in oxidized environments, notable for its striking reddish coloration. 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: From the Greek amarantos (“unfading”), referring to its persistent reddish color. Discovery: First described in 1850. Type Locality:…

Alvite is an obsolete mineral name that was historically applied to a variety of albite (NaAlSi₃O₈), the sodium-rich endmember of the plagioclase feldspar series. It is not recognized today as a distinct species by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: “Alvite” was used in older mineralogical literature as a synonym…

Alvanite is a rare zinc–nickel–aluminum vanadate mineral with the formula (Zn,Ni)Al₄(V⁵⁺O₃)₂(OH)₁₂·2H₂O. It was first discovered in the Karatau Mountains of Kazakhstan and is notable for its unusual combination of aluminum and vanadium in a hydrated framework. 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: Derived from ALuminum and VANadium in its composition. Discovery: First described in 1959,…

Alunogen is a hydrated aluminum sulfate mineral, Al₂(SO₄)₃·17H₂O. It is one of the most water-rich sulfates known, forming delicate fibrous crystals in oxidized environments. 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: From alum (due to its sulfate chemistry) + -gen (“producer”), reflecting its relation to alum salts. Discovery: First described in the early 19th century. Type…

Alunite is a hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate mineral, KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆. It is a classic sulfate mineral, often forming in oxidized zones of sulfide deposits and in volcanic environments. 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: From alum, due to its chemical relationship to alum salts. Discovery: Known since antiquity; formally described in the 19th century. Type Locality:…

Alumogel is not a formally recognized mineral species but rather an obsolete name applied to ill‑defined, gel‑like hydrous aluminum oxides. It is best thought of as a transitional or amorphous phase related to minerals like allophane and aluminite. 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: From alum (aluminum) + gel, describing its soft, gelatinous appearance. Status:…

Alumocalcite is an obsolete mineral name historically applied to a hydrated calcium–aluminum carbonate. It is no longer recognized as a distinct species by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), but appears in older mineralogical literature as a synonym or misidentification. 🌍 Origins and Naming Name Origin: From its composition — alumo- (aluminum) + calcite (calcium carbonate).…