mineral

Adjective
  1. Relating to minerals (synset 303098402)
    "mineral elements"; "mineral deposits"
  2. Composed of matter other than plant or animal (synset 301685218)
    "the inorganic mineral world"
    similar to: inorganic - lacking the properties characteristic of living organisms
Noun
  1. Solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition (synset 114686753)
    is a type of: material, stuff - the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
    subtypes:
    • ader wax, earth wax, mineral wax, ozocerite, ozokerite - a waxy mineral that is a mixture of hydrocarbons and occurs in association with petroleum; some varieties are used in making ceresin and candles
    • amblygonite - a white or grey mineral consisting of lithium aluminum phosphate; a source of lithium
    • amphibole - a mineral or mineral variety belonging to the amphibole group
    • amphibole group - a group of minerals with similar crystal structures containing a silicate chain and combinations of chiefly sodium and calcium and magnesium and iron and aluminum
    • apatite - a common complex mineral consisting of calcium fluoride phosphate or calcium chloride phosphate; a source of phosphorus
    • aragonite - a mineral form of crystalline calcium carbonate; dimorphic with calcite
    • argentite - a valuable silver ore consisting of silver sulfide (Ag2S)
    • argyrodite - a rare steel-grey mineral consisting of silver and germanium and sulfur
    • arsenopyrite, mispickel - a silver-white or grey ore of arsenic
    • asphalt, mineral pitch - a dark bituminous substance found in natural beds and as residue from petroleum distillation; consists mainly of hydrocarbons
    • augite - dark-green to black glassy mineral of the pyroxene group containing large amounts of aluminum and iron and magnesium
    • baddeleyite - a mineral consisting of zirconium oxide
    • bastnaesite, bastnasite - a yellow-to-brown mineral that is a source of rare earth elements
    • bauxite - a clay-like mineral; the chief ore of aluminum; composed of aluminum oxides and aluminum hydroxides; used as an abrasive and catalyst
    • beryl - the chief source of beryllium; colored transparent varieties are valued as gems
    • borax - an ore of boron consisting of hydrated sodium borate; used as a flux or cleansing agent
    • bornite, peacock ore - a mineral consisting of sulfides of copper and iron that is found in copper deposits
    • carnallite - a white or reddish mineral consisting of hydrous chlorides of potassium and magnesium; used as a fertilizer and as a source of potassium and magnesium
    • cassiterite - a hard heavy dark mineral that is the chief source of tin
    • celestite - a mineral consisting of strontium sulphate
    • cerussite, white lead ore - a mineral consisting of lead carbonate that is an important source of lead
    • chalcocite, copper glance - a heavy grey mineral that is an ore of copper
    • chalcopyrite, copper pyrites - a yellow copper ore (CuFeS2) made up of copper and iron sulfide
    • chlorite - a generally green or black mineral; it occurs as a constituent of many rocks typically in the form of a flat crystal
    • chromite - a brownish-black mineral; the major source of chromium
    • chrysoberyl - a rare hard yellow green mineral consisting of beryllium aluminate in crystal form; used as a gemstone
    • cinnabar - a heavy reddish mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide; the chief source of mercury
    • cobaltite - a rare silvery-white mineral; important ore of cobalt
    • halite, rock salt - naturally occurring crystalline sodium chloride
    • coltan, columbite-tantalite - a valuable black mineral combining niobite and tantalite; used in cell phones and computer chips
    • cordierite - a blue mineral of magnesium and iron and aluminum and silicon and oxygen; often used as a gemstone
    • corundom, corundum - very hard mineral used as an abrasive
    • cristobalite - a white mineral consisting of silica; found in volcanic rocks
    • crocolite - a rare lead chromite mineral that forms bright orange crystals
    • cryolite, greenland spar - a white mineral consisting of fluorides of aluminum and sodium; a source of fluorine
    • cuprite - a mineral consisting of cuprous oxide that is a source of copper
    • bitter spar, dolomite - a light colored mineral consisting of calcium magnesium carbonate; a source of magnesium; used as a ceramic and as fertilizer
    • earth color - a colored mineral used as a pigment
    • emery - a hard grey-black mineral consisting of corundum and either hematite or magnetite; used as an abrasive (especially as a coating on paper)
    • cobalt bloom, erythrite - a reddish mineral consisting of hydrated cobalt arsenate in monoclinic crystalline form and used in coloring glass; usually found in veins bearing cobalt and arsenic
    • fergusonite - a dark mineral consisting of oxides of yttrium and erbium and tantalum and other minerals
    • fluor, fluorite, fluorspar - a soft mineral (calcium fluoride) that is fluorescent in ultraviolet light; chief source of fluorine
    • gadolinite, ytterbite - a mineral that is a source of rare earths; consists of silicates of iron and beryllium and cerium and yttrium and erbium
    • galena - soft blue-grey mineral; lead sulfide; a major source of lead
    • garnet - any of a group of hard glassy minerals (silicates of various metals) used as gemstones and as an abrasive
    • garnierite - a green mineral consisting of hydrated nickel magnesium silicate; a source of nickel
    • germanite - a rare reddish-grey mineral consisting of a copper iron germanium sulfide
    • gibbsite - white crystalline mineral consisting of aluminum hydroxide; a constituent of bauxite and a source of alumina
    • glauconite - a green mineral consisting of hydrated silicate of potassium or iron or magnesium or aluminum; found in greensand
    • cadmium sulphide, greenockite - ore of cadmium; a rare yellowish mineral consisting of cadmium sulphide in crystalline form
    • gypsum - a common white or colorless mineral (hydrated calcium sulphate) used to make cements and plasters (especially plaster of Paris)
    • hausmannite - a mineral consisting of manganese tetroxide; a source of manganese
    • barite, barium sulphate, barytes, heavy spar - a white or colorless mineral (BaSO4); the main source of barium
    • calamine, hemimorphite - a white mineral; a common ore of zinc
    • ilmenite - a weakly magnetic black mineral found in metamorphic and plutonic rocks; an iron titanium oxide in crystalline form; a source of titanium
    • jadeite - a hard green mineral consisting of sodium aluminum silicate in monoclinic crystalline form; a source of jade; found principally in Burma
    • kainite - a white mineral consisting of magnesium sulphate and potassium chloride; a source of potassium salts; used as a fertilizer
    • kaolinite - a mineral consisting of aluminum silicate; main source of kaolin
    • kernite - a light soft mineral consisting of hydrated sodium borate in crystalline form; an important source of boron
    • kieserite - a white mineral consisting of hydrous magnesium sulfate often found in salt mines
    • cyanite, kyanite - a grey or greenish-blue mineral consisting of aluminum silicate in crystalline form; occurs in metaphoric rock, used as a refractory
    • langbeinite - a mineral consisting of potassium magnesium double sulphate; used as a fertilizer
    • magnesite - a white mineral consisting of magnesium carbonate; a source of magnesium
    • malachite - a green or blue mineral used as an ore of copper and for making ornamental objects
    • maltha, mineral tar - a thick black tar intermediate between petroleum and asphalt
    • manganite - a black mineral consisting of basic manganese oxide; a source of manganese
    • meerschaum, sepiolite - a white clayey mineral
    • isinglass, mica - any of various minerals consisting of hydrous silicates of aluminum or potassium etc. that crystallize in forms that allow perfect cleavage into very thin leaves; used as dielectrics because of their resistance to electricity
    • millerite - a yellow mineral consisting of nickel sulfide; a minor source of nickel
    • molybdenite - a mineral resembling graphite that is valued as the chief source of molybdenum and its compounds
    • monazite - a reddish-brown mineral containing rare earth metals; an important source of thorium and cerium
    • nepheline, nephelite - a whitish mineral consisting of sodium aluminum silicate or potassium aluminum silicate in crystalline form; used in the manufacture of ceramics and enamels
    • nephelinite - an igneous rock consisting of nepheline and pyroxene
    • columbite, niobite - a black mineral that is an ore of niobium and tantalum
    • nitrocalcite - the mineral form of calcium nitrate
    • olivine - a mineral consisting of magnesium iron silicate; a source of magnesium
    • olivenite - rare green to black mineral consisting of hydrated copper arsenate that is found in copper deposits
    • opal - a translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color; some varieties are used as gemstones
    • ore - a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
    • orpiment - a yellow mineral occurring in conjunction with realgar; an ore of arsenic
    • iridosmine, osmiridium - a hard and corrosion resistant mineral that is a natural alloy of osmium and iridium (usually containing small amounts of rhodium and platinum); used in needles and pen nibs etc.
    • pentlandite - a mineral (iron and nickel sulphide) that is the chief ore of nickel
    • magnesia, magnesium oxide, periclase - a white solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase; a source of magnesium
    • pinite - grey or green or brown mineral similar to mica and containing aluminum and potassium sulphates
    • pollucite - a rare mineral that is an important source of cesium
    • psilomelane - a mineral consisting of hydrated basic oxide of manganese and barium; a source of manganese
    • fool's gold, iron pyrite, pyrite - a common mineral (iron disulfide) that has a pale yellow color
    • pyrolusite - a mineral consisting of manganese dioxide; an important source of manganese
    • green lead ore, pyromorphite - a mineral consisting of lead chloride and phosphate; a minor source of lead
    • pyrophyllite - a white or greenish aluminum silicate mineral (resembles talc)
    • pyroxene - any of a group of crystalline silicate mineral common in igneous and metamorphic rocks
    • magnetic pyrites, pyrrhotine, pyrrhotite - a brownish iron sulfide mineral (FeS) having weak magnetic properties
    • quartz - a hard glossy mineral consisting of silicon dioxide in crystal form; present in most rocks (especially sandstone and granite); yellow sand is quartz with iron oxide impurities
    • realgar - a rare soft orange mineral consisting of arsenic sulphide; an important ore of arsenic
    • red clay - clay whose redness results from iron oxide
    • rhodochrosite - a mineral consisting of manganese carbonate; a source of manganese
    • rhodonite - a pink or red mineral consisting of crystalline manganese silicate; used as an ornamental stone
    • rutile - a mineral consisting of titanium dioxide in crystalline form; occurs in metamorphic and plutonic rocks and is a major source of titanium
    • samarskite - a complex black mineral occurring in pegmatites
    • sapphirine - a rare light blue or green mineral; consists of aluminum and magnesium silicate and occurs as small grains in some metamorphic rocks
    • scheelite - a mineral used as an ore of tungsten
    • smaltite - a grey mineral consisting of cobalt arsenide and nickel; an important source of cobalt and nickel
    • sodalite - a vitreous mineral consisting of sodium aluminum silicate and sodium chloride in crystalline form; occurs in igneous rocks
    • spar - any of various nonmetallic minerals (calcite or feldspar) that are light in color and transparent or translucent and cleavable
    • spinel - a hard glassy mineral consisting of an oxide of magnesium and aluminum; occurs in various colors that are used as gemstones
    • spodumene - a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminum silicate; a source of lithium
    • stannite, tin pyrites - a dark grey mineral with a metallic luster that is a source of tin
    • stibnite - a soft grey mineral; the chief ore of antimony
    • strontianite - a mineral consisting of strontium carbonate
    • graphic tellurium, sylvanite - a silver-white mineral consisting of silver gold telluride; a source of gold in Australia and America
    • sylvine, sylvite - a mineral consisting of native potassium chloride; an important ore of potassium that is found in sedimentary beds
    • talc, talcum - a fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate; used in a variety of products including talcum powder
    • tantalite - a mineral consisting of tantalum oxide of iron and manganese that occurs with niobite or in coarse granite; an ore of tantalum
    • thorite - a radioactive mineral consisting of thorium silicate; it is a source of thorium that is found in coarse granite
    • thortveitite - a mineral consisting of scandium yttrium silicate; a source of scandium
    • topaz - a mineral (fluosilicate of aluminum) that occurs in crystals of various colors and is used as a gemstone
    • tourmaline - a mineral that is a complex borosilicate and hydroxide of aluminum containing iron and magnesium and calcium and lithium and sodium; it is usually black but occurs in transparent colored forms that are used as gemstones
    • tridymite - a mineral form of silica
    • turquoise - a blue to grey green mineral consisting of copper aluminum phosphate
    • vanadinite - a mineral consisting of chloride and vanadate of lead; a source of vanadium
    • vermiculite - any of a group of yellow or brown hydrous silicate minerals having a micaceous structure
    • idocrase, vesuvian, vesuvianite - a green or yellow or brown mineral consisting of a hydrated silicate; it occurs as crystals in limestone and is used a gemstone
    • iron manganese tungsten, wolframite - a mineral consisting of iron and manganese tungstate in crystalline form; the principal ore of tungsten; found in quartz veins associated with granitic rocks
    • wollastonite - a white or greyish mineral typically found in metamorphic limestone; a silicate of calcium
    • wulfenite - a yellow to orange or brown mineral used as a molybdenum ore
    • wurtzite - a brownish-black mineral consisting of zinc sulfide
    • xenotime - a brown-to-yellow mineral that is a phosphate of yttrium in crystalline form
    • zeolite - any of a family of glassy minerals analogous to feldspar containing hydrated aluminum silicates of calcium or sodium or potassium; formed in cavities in lava flows and in plutonic rocks
    • blende, sphalerite, zinc blende - an ore that is the chief source of zinc; consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline form
    • zinkenite - a steel grey metallic mineral (a sulphide of lead and antimony)
    • zircon, zirconium silicate - a common mineral occurring in small crystals; chief source of zirconium; used as a refractory when opaque and as a gem when transparent
    substance meronym: rock, stone - material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust

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